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OUTLINES 



WORLD'S HISTORY, 



WITH SPECIAL RELATION TO THE 



I 



HISTORY OF CIVILIZATION AND THE PROGRESS 
OF MANKIND. 




^^|pn^T^'"TT^"r^ 



Foy use in the Higher Classes in Public Schools, and in High Schools^ 
Academies, Seminaries, etc. 



By WILLIAM SWINTON, 

Author of Condensed History of the United States, Campaigns of the Army of the Potomac, 
Word-Analysis, Word-Book, etc. 



NEW YORK AND CHICAGO: 
IVISON, BLAKEMAN, TAYLOR, AND COMPANY. 

1880. 



■ V 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1874, 

BY IVISON, BLAKEMAN, TAYLOR, & CO., 

in the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 



27. ll» 



PREFACE 



In preparing the following Outlines of the World's His- 
tory the author has assumed that the proper aim of such 
historical study as can be pursued in high schools and 
academies should be to give the learner a general vieiv of 
human progress, — to furnish, for example, brief but explicit 
answers to such questions as these : 

1. What 7aere the Egyptians, Greeks, Persians, Hebrews, 
Latins, Spaniards, English, etc. ? What did each of these 
nations contribute to the common stock of civilization ? 

2. In \\\i2it forms did the mind of the race express itself: 
in religion, war, law-making, political organization, litera- 
ture, art ? 

3. What was the actual life of the people themselves, — 
their condition as regards political freedom, education, 
physical well-being, food, dress, trade, society, etc. ? What 
were their ways of thinking, and how did these show them- 
selves in the manners, customs, and social usages of the 
time ? 

4. What have been the great steps in hufnan progress, — 
the discoveries, social and political changes, advances in 
thought and skill, that have carried forward civilization 
and the " betterment of man's estate " (Bacon) ; and what 



iv PREFACE. 



^ 



is the series of events that has brought the world up to its 
present standard of enlightenment and knowledge ? 

These are questions that we have learned to ask only in 
comparatively recent times. The asking of them and the 
answering of them have given us history in its modern 
sense ; that is to say, history as a showing forth of the life of 
nations, in place of history as the mere biography of kings, 
or the record of battles and sieges, of dynasties and courts. 

The theory of this book may be stated in a single sen- 
tence : it is, to bring to the treatment of history for elemen- 
tary instruction the same method that has proved fruitful 
and interesting in the larger classic works. Such treat- 
ment is in marked contrast with that of the compendiums 
in ordinary use, which consist mainly of catalogues of facts 
and of chronologic data. The author believes, however, 
that the judgment of progressive teachers will fully coincide 
with his own in this : that far more valuable and more 
lasting results can be secured by giving scholars a vivid 
general view of the institutions and civilization of the 
greater nations than by cramming the memory with ever 
so imposing an array of isolated facts and dates. 

This book has grown out of a great deal of experiment- 
ing with classes, — testing of ivhat pupils can take in and 
assimilate, of what becomes fruitful in their minds, and of 
what, on the other hand, is retained with difficulty or for- 
gotten with ease. Care has been taken to cast the para- 
graphs into such a form that the subject-matter of each 
may be easily grasped by the pupil and the same readily 
elicited by means of the marginal notes, — a device which 
seems to be better suited to a work of this grade than 
mere literal questions would be. It is scarcely necessary to 



PREFACE. 



call attention to the maps : they have been drawn with great 
care by Mr. Jacob Wells, and will be found both accurate 
and ample. The engraving-work, which is exceptionally 
excellent, is by Mr. John Karst. 

In addition to these features there are two salient points 
to which notice is called: i. This manual is made from 
modern 7naterial, and presents the fruit of those researches 
that have so essentially modified and so greatly enlarged 
our views both of antiquity and of more recent times. 2. 
It is written in the spirit of the modern method, — that 
method which deals with the broad, vital facts, rather than 
with the pedantries of history. 

As, by the courses of study in our public schools, general 
history is not taken up until after several years' work on 
the history of our own country, it would have been quite 
superfluous to insert here an imperfect compendium of 
what has already been gone over in detail ; hence in this 
book the history of the United States is treated only in so 
far as it touches that of other nations. 

The author is deeply impressed \vith the conviction that 
history, studied in the right manner, is of fundamental im- 
portance in the growth of the mental and moral nature. 
And he believes that such study is of especial moment in 
our own country, as a preparation for citizenship in a free, 
self-governing nation : for how can we appreciate what we 
enjoy, unless we know how it ca77te to be? In the sincere 
hope that this survey of the providential ordainment of 
human affairs may prove helpful, both to intellectual growth 
and the formation of character, it is commended to the 
judgment of the teaching profession. 

WILLIAM SWINTON. 

Cambridge, Aug., 1874. 



NOTE TO REVISED EDITION. 

In the present edition the Outhnes of History has 
undergone a careful revision in the light of valuable 
suggestions from teachers who have had the work in use 
in the class-room. To such teachers the author takes 
pleasure in expressing his hearty thanks. He has also to 
acknowledge in a very particular manner his obligations 
to Prof. C. K. Adams, of the University of Michigan, 
who kindly went through the whole book and commu- 
nicated to the author his scholarly annotations. The pres- 
ent edition contains such modification of the text as were 
necessitated by these suggestions. It is proper to add 
that the textual differences are not such as to interfere 
with the simultaneous use of both old and new editions 
in the class. 



CONTENTS. 



— • — 

PAGB 

fNTRODUCTION 

SECTION I. 

THE ANCIENT ORIENTAL MONARCHIES. 
Chapter 

I. Geographical Sketch 8 

II. Egypt 12 

1. Historical Outline 12 

2. Egyptian Civilization 20 

III. The Assyrians and Babylonians .... 27 

1. Introduction 27 

2. Early Babylonian, or Chaldacan, Kingdom . . 29 

3. Assyria 32 

4. Later Babylonian Kingdom 35 

IV. The Hebrews 38 

V. The Phcenicians 43 

VI. The Hindoos 50 

VH. The Persian Empire 55 

1. Historical Outline 55 

2. Persian Civilization 60 

VIII. Commerce of the Ancients 64 



SECTION II. 

history ok GREECE. 
I. General Sketch 7J 



Vlll CONTENTS. 



II, History of the First Period : From the Dorian 
Migration to the beginning of the Persian Wars, 

1100-500 B. C 81 

1. Beginnings of Greek History .... 81 

2. Growth of Sparta and Athens ..... 85 

III. History of the Second Period: From the beginning 
of the Persian War to the Victory of Philip of 

Macedon at Chasronea, B C. 500-338 ... 91 

1. The Persian Invasions 91 

2. The Age of Pericles 98 

3. The Peloponnesian War 100 

4. Period of Spartan and Theban Supremacy . . loi 

IV History of the Third Period: From the Victory of 

Philip to the Absorption of Greece by the Romans. 103 

I. Supremacy of Macedon. — Philip .... 103 

2 Career of Alexander the Great .... 104 

3. Alexander's Successors ...... 108 

4. Later History of Macedon and Greece . . . 109 
V. Grecian Civilization 114 

1. Political Ideas 114 

2. Religion . . . . . . . . .114 

3 Grecian Festivals I17 

4 Greek Literature and Philosophy . . . .119 

5. Grecian Art . 125 

6. Greek Life, Manners, etc 128 



SECTION III. 

HISTORY OF ROME. 

I. Geography and Races 130 

II. Primeval Rome. — Period of the Kings . . 133 

III. The Roman Republic 136 

1. Epoch of the Struggle for Existence . . . 136 

Great Names of Early Rome ... 137 

2. Epoch of the Roman Conquest of Ital) . . 143 



CONTENTS. IX 



3. Epoch of Foreign Conquest H7 

4. Epoch of Civil Strife ^59 

IV. Rome as an Empire '^^ 

1. Age of Augustus ^°^ 

2. Political History ^9^ 

3. Spread of Christianity ^^94 

4. Roman Life, Manners, Customs, etc. • • -201 

5. Last Days of Rome ^°7 



SECTION IV. 

MEDIEVAL HISTORY. 

LNTRODUCTION 212 

L The New Races ^^3 

IL Three Centuries of History 221 

1. The Byzantine Empire 221 

2. Italy down to Charlemagne 223 

3. Beginnings of France 224 

4. Beginnings of England 225 

5. Rise of the Saracens 227 

III. Empire of Charlemagne 234 

IV. The Feudal System ^^° 

V. Growth of the Papal Power . - - • 247 

253 

253 

256 



VI. The Crusades . . • ^53 

I Introduction ^^ 

2. The First Crusade • • • • • 

3. The Second Crusade 

4. The Third Crusade ...••• 262 

5. The Later Crusades ' ' ^^^ 

6. Results of the Crusades ^5 

VIL Chivalry, — its Rise AND Decay 267 

VIII. Civilization in the Middle Ages .... 272 

1. The Dark Ages ^^2 

2. The Age of Revival. - Cities aud Commerce . 276 



CONTENTS. 



IX. Political Outline : From Charlemagne to the Close of 

the Middle Ages 285 

1. The German Empire 285 

2. France 287 

3. England ........ 291 

4 Italy 295 

5. Spain 298 



SECTION V. 



MODERN HISTORY. 



I. Transition to Modern History . 

1. Introduction 

2. Fall of the Eastern Empire 

3. Maritime Discoveries 

4. The Revival of Learning . 

5. Decline of Feudalism 

6. Rise of Great Monarchies . 

II. Great Events of the Sixteenth Century 

1. Age of Charles V 

2. England under Henry VHI. . 

3. Rise of the Dutch Republic 

4. Civil and Religious Wars of France 

5. Age of Queen Elizabeth 
Great Names of the Sixteenth Century 

III. Great Events of the Seventeenth Century 

1. England under the Stuarts .... 

2. The Thirty Years' War .... 

3. The Age of Louis XIV 

4. Progress of Civilization .... 
Great Names of the Seventeenth Century . 

IV. Great Events of the Eighteenth Century 

1. England under the Georges .... 

2. Prussia and Frederick the Great 

3. The Rise of Russia 

4. The French Revolution .... 



305 
305 
306 
308 
312 
314 
315 
317 
317 
325 

334 
339 
347 

350 
350 
364 
368 

379 
387 
390 
390 
396 
402 
409 



I 



CONTENTS. 



XI 



5. Progress of Civilization . . . . . 
Great Names of the Eighteenth Century 

Great Events of the Nineteenth Century 

1. The Consulate and the Empire . 

2. Modern English Politics . . . . 

3. Revolutions in French Politics . 

4. The Unification of Italy . . . . 

5. The German Empire Restored . 
Great Names of the Nineteenth Centuiy 



429 
436 
440 
440 
458 
463 
470 

473 
483 



INDEX 489 



k 



MAPS 



Ancient Oriental Monarchies. {Double page.) 
Historic Era at the Beginning of Records 
Egypt at the Time of Persian Conquest . 
Dominion of Solomon .... 
Phcenicia and her Colonies . 
Persian Empire. {Double page.) 
Routes of Ancient Commerce 
Greece and her Colonies. {Double page.) 
Greece before Dorian Migration . 
Greek Races after Dorian Migration 
Persian Invasions of Greece . 
Vicinity of Marathon and Athens 

Thermopyl^ 

Races of Ancient Italy 

Latium, or Primeval Rome 

The Punic Wars .... 

MiTHRiDATic Wars .... 

Campaigns of C^sar 

Roman Empire. {Double page.) . 

Plan of Ancient Rome. 

Europe, Close of 6th Century 

Original Home of the English 

Europe, a. d. 800. .... 

Map of the Crusades . 

Iberian Peninsula, 1491 . 

Europe, i6th Century. {Double page.) 

Globular View of Geographic Discoveries 

Europe, Time of Napoleon. {Double page.) 



Page 
8 
II 
13 
39 
44 
54 
65 
72 

77 
83 
92 

93 
96 

131 
133 
148 
161 
167 
182 
186 
220 
226 

233 
252 
298 

304 
308 
440 



OUTLINES OF HISTORY. 



INTRODUCTION. 

1. History may be defined, in a general way, as the rec- 
ord of the hfe of mankind. In a more special History de- 
view, it is the narrative of the rise and progress ^^^^' 

oi those famous peoples whose doings constitute the history 
of cwilizaiion. 

2. In this its proper and highest sense histor}' presup- 
poses the races advanced beyond the natural ns relation to 
or primitive state, and gathered in political "^tions. 
communities, or nations; and it confines itself to those 
nadons whose achievements have influenced the general 
current of the world's affairs, and made the condition of 
the world what we now see it. 

3. Respecting mankind outside of nations^ there is much 
interesting and valuable knowledge, supplied Aids to' 

by various sciences. Among these are, — history. 

Ethnol'ogy, or the science of the several races, or types 
of mankind. 

ARCHiEOL'oGY, Or the science of the ancient works of 
man. 

Philol'ogy, or the science of language. 

By the aid of these sciences much is now known regard- 
ing humanity in its lower stages of progress. In our own 
times a vast amount of inquiry has been made into the con- 
dition of the primeval races ; interesting studies have been 
made also on the customs, manners, arts, languages, and 
religions of savage tribes. 



"^^2 OUTLINES OF GENERAL HISTORY. 



4. These researches belong to Anthropol'ogy, which 
Difference be- dcals With mail in natural history^ rather than 
tween ^ntj^o- ^^ HiSTORY proper, which deals with nations, 
History. ^hat is to Say, with man in civiUzaiioji. 

5. Viewing history as confined to the series of leading 
The real his- civilizcd nations, we observe that it has to do 
toric race. ^^-^^ j^^^ Qj^g grand division of the human fam- 
ily, namely, with the Caucasian, or white race. To this 
division belonged the people of all the elder nations, — 
the Egyptians, Assyr'ians and Babylo'nians, the Hebrews 
and the Phoeni'cians, the Hin'doos, the Persians, the Greeks, 
and the Romans. Of course, the modern European na- 
tions, as also the states founded by European colonists, all 
belong to this ethnological division. Thus we see that his- 
tory proper concerns itself with but one highly developed 
type of mankind ; for though the great bulk of the popu- 
lation of the globe has, during the whole recorded period, 
belonged, and does still belong, to other types of mankind, 
yet the Caucasians form the only truly historical race. 
Hence we may say that civilization is the product of the 
brain of this race. 

Of the peoples outside of the Caucasian race that have made some 
figure in civiUzation, the Chinese, Mexicans, and Peruvians stand alone. 
P>ut though those races rose considerably above the savage state, their 
civilization was stationary, and they had no marked influence on the 
general current of the world's progress. 

6. Modern scholars divide this historical stock — the 
Its three di- Caucasian race — into three main branches : 
visions. J ji^g A'ryan, or Indo-European branch; 
H. The Semitic branch ; IH. The Hamit'ic branch. This 
classification is a linguistic one, — that is to say, it is a 
division based on the nature of the languages spoken by 
the three families of nations, — but at the same time it 
represents three distinct civilizations. 



INTRODUCTION. 



7. The Aryan branch is that division to which we our- 
selves belong : it includes nearly all the pres- 
ent and past nations of Europe, — the Greeks, ^ ryans. 
Latins, Germans or Teu'tons, Celts, and Slavo'nians, — to- 
gether with two ancient Asiatic peoples, namely, the Hin- 
doos and the Persians. 

8. The evidence of language shows that the Celtic, Ger- 
man, Slavonian, Greek, and Latin tongues all Their unity, 
bear a remarkable family likeness, and that ^°^ proved, 
they share this likeness with the Sanscrit, which was the 
ancient language of India, and with the Zend, the ancient 
language of Persia. It is quite certain that the forefathers 
of the Persians and of the Hindoos and the forefathers of 
all the European nations were once one people, and lived 
together somewhere in Western Asia. This was at a time 
long before the beginning of recorded history (for we know 
nothing of the Greeks, Latins, Germans, Celts, etc., as such^ 
until we find them in Europe) ; but still it is proved by the 
evidence of language that their original home and native 
seat was Asia. 

9. The Semitic branch includes the ancient inhabitants 
of Syria, Arabia, and the Tigris and Euphrates 

. ^, , ,. 1 . . , Semites. 

countries. The leadmg historical representa- 
tives of the Semitic branch are the Hebrews, Phoenicians, 
Assyrians, and Arabs. 

10. The Hamitic branch has but one prominent repre- 
sentative, — the Eofvptians. It is probable, 

1 , • ^, , , , 1 , Hamites. 

however, that the ancient Chaldae'ans also be- 
longed to this race. 

11. The history of. the civilized world is the history of 
the Aryan, Semitic, and Hamitic races. It is comparison of 
of interest to know that the race to which we ^^^ r&z^%. 
belong, the Aryan, has always played the leading part in 
the great drama of the world's progress. The Hamitic 
nations, the Egyptians and Chalda^ans, though they devel- 



OUTLINES OF GENERAL HISTORY. 



oped a peculiar type of civilization, yet grew up and re- 
mained in a great degree apart from the rest of the world, 
having no considerable influence on the main current of 
history. As to the Semites, there is one respect in which 
they have the greatest place in the story of mankind, 
namely, in religious development ; for the three religions 
that have taught men that there is but one God — namely, 
the Jewish, the Christian, and the Mahom'etan — have all 
come from among them. But, aside from this, the Semites 
do not make nearly so important or so conspicuous a figure 
in history as do the Aryans, or Indo-Europeans. They 
have never been greatly progressive. They have generally 
shown a conservative disposition that has, in the main, 
kept them fixed to their native seat, in the small tract of 
country between the Tigris, the Mediterranean, and the 
Red Sea. Thus they have not, like the Aryans, been the 
planters of new nations ; and they have never attained a 
high intellectual development, or that progress in political 
freedom, in science, art, and literature, which is the glory 
of the Aryan nations. 

12. If we trace back the present civilization of the ad- 
The Aryans in vauccd uations of the world, — our own civil- 
history, ization, and that of England, Germany, France, 
Italy, etc., — we shall find that much of it is connected by 
direct and unbroken line with the Roman. The Romans, 
in turn, were heirs of the Greeks. Now, all this is Aryan ; 
and when we go back to the primitive age of the undivided 
Aryans in Asia, we see that this race must even then have 
been placed far above the condition of mere savages, and 
that they had made good beginnings in government, and 
social life, and religion, and the simple mechanical arts. 
Thus we are fully authorized to say that the Aryans are 
peculiarly the race of progress; and a very large part of 
the history of the world must be taken up with an account 
of the contributions which the Aryan nations have made to 
the common stock of civilization. 



INTRODUCTION. 



13. In these Outlines of the world's history we shall 

take up : Divisions of 

I. The groups of ancient Oriental nations, *^*^ ^°°^- 
including, i. The Egyptians; 2. The Assyro-Babylonians ^• 
3. The Hebrews ; 4. The Phoenicians ; 5. The Hindoos ; 6. 
The Persians. 

IL The history of Greece. 

HI. The history of the Roman Dominion. 

IV. The history of the Middle Ages. 

V. The history of the modern European states and na- 
tions. 

14. The entire historical period, commencing with the 
early Empires of the East, and coming down chronologic 
to our own times, is usually divided into dis- pe^Q^^s- 
tinct portions, sometimes two and sometimes three ; that 
is to say, some historians make a double division, into 
Ajia'eni history and Modern history ; and others a triple 
division, into Ancient^ Mediceval, and Modern history. In 
either case Ancient history ends with the breaking up of 
the Dominion of Rome, in the fifth century a. d. (fall of 
the Western Roman Empire, 476 a. d.). Then, if we make 
the double division, Modern history will begin with the 
downfall of Rome ; but if the triple division, the interv^al 
from the fifth to the fifteenth century will be regarded as 
a period by itself, called MEDiiEVAL history, or the history 
of the Middle Ages ; while Modern history, according to 
this method, will be confined to the centuries between the 
fifteenth and the present time. 

15. Such divisions of the historic period into portions 
are merely arbitrary, seeing that history forms Nature of the 
in realit}^ an unbroken whole. We shall adopt divisions, 
the triple division for practical convenience, though per- 
haps the double division is the more philosophical ; for 
while we think of the ages as forming a continuous stream, 
the Roman Dominion may still be regarded as a reservoir 



OUTLINES OF GENERAL HISTORY. 



into which all the currents of history from the anterior ages 
were gathered, and from which, in turn, the ampler currents 
of Modern history have flowed. It was out of the breaking 
up of the great Dominion of Rome in the fifth century a. d. 
(when the Western Roman Empire fell, under the attacks 
of the Gothic invaders, and of other new races loosely called 
" Northern barbarians ") that the modern states of Europe 
— that is, Italy, Spain, France, England, Germany, etc. — 
gradually took their rise. 

l6. In the largest sense, however, history is a ;/;///.■ its 
epochs form but acts in one grand Provi- 

History a unit. , . , , , i r i • i 

dential drama ; one thread of progress bmds 
nation to nation ; and, looking at humanity as a whole, we 
see that 

Through the ages one increasing purpose runs, 
And the thoughts of men are widened with the process of 
the suns. 

Tennyson. 



ANALYTIC SYNOPSIS FOR REVIEW. 

T. Definition of History. (1l i.) 

Anthropology, ) how distinguished. (1[4.) 
History proper, \ 

IT. Aids to History. 

Ethnology, j 

Archeology, \ how defined. (1i 3.) 

Philology, ) 

ITT. Divisions of the Caucasian Race. 

\ Hindoos, 

Persians, 

^ ^ Greeks, 

Aryan (Indo-European) J l^^i^,^ 

Branch. (H 7-) Germans, 

Celts, 

Slavonians. 



INTRODUCTIO.W 



Semitic BraiNXH. (H 9.) 



Hamitic Branch. (H 10 ) 



Hebrews, 
Phcenicians, 
Assyrians, 
Arabs. 

Egyptians, 

ChALDvEANS. 



IV. Divisions of History. (Tf 13.) 

1. Oriental Nations. 

2. Greece. 

3. Rome. 

4. The Middle Ages. 

5. Modern History. 

V. Chronologic Periods. (If 14.) 

Ancient History, from the earliest period to the fall of the 

Western Roman Empire, 476 A. D. 
Medieval History, from the fall of the Western Roman 

Empire to the close of the 15th century. 
Modern History, from the close of the 15th century to the 

present time. 




8 ANCIENT ORIENTAL MONARCHIES. 

SECTION I. 

THE ANCIENT ORIENTAL MONARCHIES. 

CHAPTER I. 
GEOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. 

1. The ancient Oriental civilizations to be treated of in 
Oriental na- this section comprise the monarchies of Egypt, 
''°"s- Assyr'ia and Babylo'nia, Judae'a, Phoeni'cia, 
India, and Persia. 

2. With the single exception of Egypt, the seat of all the 

ancient Oriental nations was in Asia. And of 

Historic area. , . ..... . , .... , 

this grand division of the globe it is to be 
observed that only a small part has any connection with 
history proper. Historical Asia is in reality Southwestern 
Asia. 

3. All that part of Asia north of the Altai range is a com- 

paratively barren waste. It was almost wholly 

Northern Asia. , . . . 

unknown m antiquity. 

4. Central Asia, extending between the 50th and the 40th 
, , . parallels of north latitude, — known to ancient 

Central Asia. ^ . o 7 • • • 

writers as Scyth'ia^ — is a region of vast pla- 
teaus. Being destitute of arable land, it is a mere countr}' 
of pasture. It has always supported a great population, 
but a population of nomads without fixed habitations or 
cities, and with no other form of political association than 
patriarchal government. Accordingly, the races of this re- 
gion have played no part in history, except that the Mongo- 
lian or Tartar races, inhabiting the great steppes, have at 
times poured down upon and conquered the civilized coun- 
tries. 




a....i(i iir.t/i.r. .v.r 



GEOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. 



5. The real theater of Asiatic history, namely, South- 
western Asia, may be subdivided into three Division of 
regions : i. that west of the Euphra'tes ; 2. the Western Asia, 
valleys of the Euphrates and Ti gris ; 3. the region be- 
tween the Zagros Mountains and the In'dus basin inclusive. 

6. West of the Euphrates we have : i. The peninsula of 
Asia Minor, the seat of several nationalities (of 

I'll r T !/• 1 • \ First region. 

which that of Lyd'ia was the most niiportant) 
and of various Grecian colonies ; their history is, however, 
connected as much with Europe as with Asia. 2. Syr'ia, 
bordering on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, 
and comprising three distinct parts: (i) Syria proper; (2) 
Phoenicia, including the narrow strip of coast between 
Leb'anon and the sea ; (3) Parestine, south of Phoenicia. 
3. The peninsula of Arabia, stretching southeastward. This 
last is of comparatively little importance in ancient history. 

7. In the basins of the Tigris and the Euphrates were 
several distinct territorial divisions : i. Arme'- 

nia, or the highland region between Asia Minor ^"" region, 
and the Caspian Sea. 2. Assyria proper, which lay east 
of the Tigris River and west of the Zagros Mountains. 
3. Babylonia, comprising the great alluvial plain between 
the lower course of the Tigris and of the Euphrates, and 
stretching westward to the Syrian Desert. 4. Chaldae'a, the 
country at the head of the Persian Gulf, stretching west- 
ward from the lower waters of the Euphrates to the Syrian 
Desert. 5. Mesopota'mia, or the district between the 
two great rivers. 6. Susia'na, including the countr}^ lyi"g 
along the Tigris east of Babylonia. 

8. It must not be supposed that these territories were 
severally the seat of distinct nations. We may Nations in 
say that three great monarchies ruled in the ^^^^"^^ region, 
valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates, down to the time when 
these territories were absorbed in Persia (6th century b. c). 
These were the Chaldaean, Babylonian, and Assyri:in king- 



lO ANCIENT ORIENTAL MONARCHIES. 

doms ; and of these the last, at the height of its power, 
held sway over nearly the entire region between the Zagros 
Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea. 

9. The table-land of ancient Iran (Persia) lay to the east 
Eastern di- of the Zagros chain of mountains, which sep- 
vision. arated it from the Tigris and Euphrates ba- 
sins. In the north, toward the Caspian Sea, was Media ; 
to the south, and reaching to the Persian Gulf, was ancient 
Persia proper. Farther eastward, and stretching to the 
south, was the peninsula of India, forming the eastern limit 
of ancient Asiatic civilization. 

10. The earliest nations recorded in history arose in the 
Civilization three alluvial plains of the Nile, of the Tigris 
and geography. ^^^ Euphrates, and of the Indus. This fact 
was wholly due to physical causes. In a primitive state of 
society, population can gather into nations only in regions 
where a fertile soil produces abundant food. Now the three 
alluvial basins just named are distinguished for their ex- 
traordinary fertility. Here nature spontaneously produces 
certain important articles of food, such as dates, rice, etc., 
which, being easily cultivated and yielding immense re- 
turns, made a large population possible. Accordingly, we 
find that in these countries men had adopted fixed habita- 
tions (a great advance on the pastoral or nomad state) and 
formed themselves into political associations at a time long 
antedating recorded history. 

11. As the physical conditions that favor the formation 
of human society are, so far as the Old World goes, found 
only in the alluvial plains of Southwest Asia (taking in 
Cradle of na- Egypt), as the earliest nations appear in these 
*'°"^' regions, and as philology proves that all the 
European races came from Western Asia, — we may safely 
consider that here was, if not the cradle of the human race, 
at least the cradle of civilization. 

12. We shall begin'with these earliest nations of civilized 



GEOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. 



II 



man. With the origin of the human race, its 
first seats and earliest distribution, history *^'" ° '"^"' 
proper does not undertake to deal. History commences 
when historical records commence. Hence we must leave 
to revelation and to science the consideration of primitive 
humanit}', and take up our studies with those ancient Ori- 
ental nations that appear on the stage of human affairs when 
historic records begin. 

13. When the curtain goes up on antiquity, — say in the 
23d century b. c, — we have disclosed to view Earliest his- 
the venerable figures of tvv^o civilizations : that *°"'^ theater, 
in the Nile Valley and that in Chaldaea. And beyond this 
narrow region the fore-world is to us shrouded in impene- 
trable darkness. 




ANCIENT ORIENTAL MONARCHIES. 



CHAPTER II. 

EGYPT. 

I. HISTORICAL OUTLINE. 




The Great Pyramids. 



14. Egypt is the country in which we first find a gov- 
Antiquity of cmment and poHtical institutions estabHshed. 
Egypt. Egypt itself may not have been the oldest 
nation^ but Egyptian his^oiy is certainly the oldest history. 
Its monuments, records, and literature surpass in antiquity 
those of ChaldcEa and India, the two next oldest nations. 

15. It is natural to suppose that the banks of the Nile 
must have been one of the primitive seats of human soci- 
ety, for the condition already mentioned as favoring the 

first formation of nations — namely, cheap 
and abundant food — was here present in a 
remarkable decree. 



Why old. 



EGYPT. 



13 



16. Egypt itself has been called from the earliest antiq- 




EGYPT. - ■y-.s-.s, 

, atthe^ume of -^^^fS^- 

Per s IAN Co NQ u EST ^"7v -"*" 
CAMBYSE5. 



Ulty "the Physical ge- 

Giftofthe og'-aphy. 
Nile." This mighty 
river, flowing from the 
highlands of Abyssinia 
and the great lakes 
of equatorial Africa, 
forms in Egypt a strip 
of fertility in the midst 
of the desert waste. 
In its annual overflow 
(due to the immense 
rainfalls in the Abys- 
sinian mountains), the 
Nile, by its mud de- 
posits, renews every 
year the soil of this 
strip, so that all the 
people had to do was 
to plant, and nature 
produced. 

17. In Egypt the 
date - palm ^ , 

^ Food-plants. 

grew spon- 
taneously, and fur- 
nished the people with 
a cheap and abun- 



MAP STUDY. 

Ancient Egypt comprised three divisions, — Lower Egypt, or the Delta; Middle 
Egypt, or the Heptanomis ; Upper Egypt, or the Thebais. 

I. In which division was Memphis? 2. On which bank of the Nile 
was Memphis ? 3. In which division was Thebes .? 4. Near which city 
are the Great Pyramids ? 5. What seaport at the month of the eastern 
branch of the Nile? 6. Where was the land of Goshen ? 7. What sea 
north of Egypt ? 8. What is the general course of the Nile ? 9. What 
sea east of Egypt ? 10. What celebrated mountain in this vicinity ? 



14 ANCIENT ORIENTAL MONARCHIES. 

dant article of food. The fertility of the soil also yielded, 
with slight labor, large crops of cereals (especially dhourra^ 
a sort of maize), and the " granaries of Egypt " were the 
storehouse whence all the peoples of the Mediterranean 
were wont to draw supplies in seasons of scarcity. 

18. The cheapness of living in Egypt led to a great mul- 
Effect on the tiplication of the population. A Greek writer, 
people. Diodo'rus Sic'ulus, who traveled there nineteen 
centuries ago, says that to bring up a child to manhood did 
not cost more than twenty drachmas (less than four dollars 
of our money), — and he notices this fact as a cause of the 
populousness of Egypt. 

19. Information in regard to ancient Egypt was, until the 
Old sources of present centur}^ derived chiefly from the nar- 
information. rativcs of the Greek historians, and especially 
from that of Herod'otus,* who traveled in Egypt in the 5th 
century b. c, and from some fragments of a history written in 
Greek by Man'etho, an Eg}'ptian priest, in the 3d century b. c. 

20. But in modern times our knowledge of the ancient 
The new land has been greatly extended by the discov- 
sources. g^.^ q£ ^^^ ^^^ ^f reading the inscriptions which 
the Egyptians of old with great lavishness carved on their 
buildings and monuments, especially their obelisks, painted 
on the frescoed interiors of their tombs, and indeed placed 
on almost eveiy object of use or art. These writings were 

In the character called hieroglyph' ics^ which is a Greek term 
meaning sacred carvings, or priestly writing. Now, the 
knowledge of the reading of these died out with the decline 
of Egypt, and "hieroglyphics" became a synonym for every- 
thing that is mysterious. 

21. It was an interesting accident that led to the unveil- 
Deciphering of ing of this mystery. During the expedition of 
th^e hieroglyph- ^^^^ p^ench to Egypt, under Napoleon, at the 

* Herodotus, called the father of history, was born at Halicamassus, a 
Greek colony in Caria (Asia Minor), B. c. 484. 



I 



EGYPT. 



close of the last century, an engineer in digging the foun- 
dation of a fort near the Rosetta mouth of the Nile found 
a stone tablet about three feet long, on which was an in- 
scription in three different characters. This was the famous 
" Rosetta stone." One of the three texts (the lower one) was 
Greek, and of course was readily translated ; the text at the 
head was in the mystic hieroglyphic character ; the interme- 
diate text was in a character since called dejuotic {demos, the 
people), that is, the writing of the common people. This in- 
scription was copied and circulated among scholars, and after 
long and ingenious efforts the alphabet of the hieroglyphics 
was made out ; so that now these carvings are read with ease 
and certainty, and a new flood of light has been thrown on 
the histoiy of ancient Egypt. 

Note on the Rosetta Stone. — The Greek text, when translated, 
showed that the inscription was an ordinance of the priests decreeing cer- 
tain lienors to Plol'emy Epiph'anes on the occasion of his coronation, 
196 B. C. (Ptolemy Epiphanes was one of a line of Greek sovereigns 
who ruled over Egypt from the time of its conquest by Alexander, 4th 
ceniury, to the 1st century B. c.) It contains a command that the de- 
cree should be inscribed in the sacred letters (hieroglyphics), the letters 
of the country (demotic), and Greek letters, — and this for the conven- 
ience of the mixed population of Egypt under its Greek rulers. It was 
natural to conclude that the three texts were the same in substance, and 
accordingly earnest efforts were made to decipher the hieroglyphics by 
aid of the Greek. The first clew was obtained by noticing that certain 
groups of the hieroglyphic characters were inclosed in oval rings, and 
that these groups corresponded in relative position with certain proper 
names, such as Ptolemy, etc.. in the Greek text. The following line 
presents a few of the characters with a group in the oval ring. (The 
words and groups of words are read from rij:^ht to left.) 

(Piolemy eternal beloved of Phtah') of Egypt king of statue raising 



i6 



ANCIENT ORIENTAL MONARCHIES. 



It was by comparison of the group judged on strong grounds to be the 
name Ptolemy, with another group (found on another stone) supposed 
to stand for the name Cleopatra, that the first great advance was made. 
The groups were as follows : — 



(MME 



(^^ 



Supposed to be Ptolemy. 



Supposed to be Cleopatra. 



In Greek Ptolemy is Ptolemaios^ and Cleopatra is Kleopatra. If now 
the hieroglyphic characters were /c'/Z^r-signs, the characters I, 2, 3, 4, in 
Ptolemaios should correspond respectively with 5, 7, 4, 2, in Kleopatra 
{\h^ first letter in Ptolemaios being \.\\c fifth in Kleopatra, etc.). In this 
way several letters were discovered ; by means of other groups the whole 
alphabet was made out, and finally it was proved that by this phonetic 
alphabet the characters and groups could be resolved into the Coptic 
language of Egypt, which was already understood by scholars. It should 
not be forgotten that the great work of deciphering was mainly effected 
by the French savant, Champollion. 

22. The Egyptians were not Africans, as we understand 



Egyptian race. 



that term. They belonged to the Caucasian 
race. Still, they were neither Aryans nor Sem- 
ites, and hence scholars call them by a special designation, 
namely, Hamites, or K/iamites* They bore a greater re- 
semblance to the ancient Chaldaeans than to any other 
Asiatic people ; both peoples showed a wonderful building 
instinct, and the Egyptian language seems to be a sort of 
primitive Semitic. Hence some scholars believe that 
the Egyptians were originally immigrants into the Nile 
Valley from the alluvial plain at the head of the Persian 
Gulf ; but if this was the case, the Egyptians must have left 

* Khame (literally the Black Land) was the native name of Egypt. 



EGYPT. 



17 



Asia at a period before there was that sharp division of 
Semites and Aryans which we find in historical times. 

23. I'he origin of Egyptian civihzation is hidden in the 
darkness of antiquity ; but by the aid of cer- 
tain ascertained facts we may estabhsh at E|yp"t"s"his°^ 
least an approximate starting-point. Thus, it ^°^^* 
is known that Abraham visited Egypt in the 20th century 
B. c, and that he then found a flourishing monarchy exist- 
ing. Now at this remote period the Great Pyramids were 
standing, and modern scholars are agreed that these struc- 
tures were reared by kings of the fourth dynasty, — at a 
time not later than the middle of the 25 th century b. c. It 
is evident from the monuments that the civilization of Eg}^pt 
at this early date was in many respects of an advanced 
order, and hence we must seek its origin still farther back. 
But ho7v far back? According to the native historian 
Manetho, twenty-six dynasties of kings ruled the country 
from Me'nes, the first king of the first dynasty, down to the 
conquest of Egypt by the Persians in the 6th century b. c. 
The accession of Menes is placed by some scholars (as 
Bunsen) at 3906 ; others bring it down as late as 2700. 
Later than that date we cannot bring it, and it would doubt- 
less be quite correct to say that Egypt was a civilized coun- 
try three thousand years before the Christian era. 

. Z4. The history of Egypt from the first dynasty (2700 
B.C.) down to the destruction 'of Egyptian in- jhe three pe- 
dependence by the Persians (525 b. c.) maybe "°'^^- 
divided into three periods, namely : — 

I. First Period (or period of. the old empire), from the 
earliest times (say 2700 b. c.) to 2080. 

II. Second Period (or period of the Hyk'sos rule), from 
2080 to 1527. 

III. Third Period (or period of the new empire), from 
1527 to 525. 

25. The First Period begins with the first dynasty (2700 



1 8 ANCIENT ORIENTAL MONARCHIES. 

B. c), and lasts for 620 years ; but it cannot be said that 
First Period authentic Egyptian history commences until 
characterized. ^^^ fourth dynasty, about the middle of the 
25th century b. c. And indeed the epoch of the fourth 
dynasty is the most notable during the whole of this First 
Period ; for this was the era of the pyramid-builders. Man- 
etho ascribes the building of the Great Pyramid at Gizeh 
[j^ee'ze/i] near Mem'phis to Siipkis (the Che'ops of Herodo- 
tus) ; and it is an interesting fact that in the interior of this 
structure has been found a hieroglyphic royal name which 
scholars agree in reading SJmfu* The center of the Egyp- 
tian power was then at Memphis, in Lower Egypt, where a 
centralized monarchy ruled the whole country ; and it is 
apparent that at this epoch the Egyptians had made very 
considerable progress in the arts of life. Before the close 
of the First Period, however, Egypt was broken up into 
really separate kingdoms, the monarchy which ruled at 
Thebes in Upper Egypt being the most powerful. This 
left the country in so feeble a condition that it was invaded 
by a foreign enemy, namely the Hyksos, or Shepherd 
Kings. And with their conquest of Egypt (2080 b. c.) 
closes the First Period, or Old Empire. 

26. The Second Period is the era covered by the rule of 
the Hyksos, or Shepherd Kines, and lasts for 

Second Period. . / r- ^ • / o \ ^u 

about nve centuries (2080- 1525 B.C.). The 
Hyksos are believed to have been a nomadic race from 
either Syria or Arabia. Entering Lower Egypt, they de- 
stroyed the native monarchy at Memphis, and afterwards 
conquered the Theban Kingdom of Upper Egypt. The 
complete establishment of their dominion was about 1900 
B. c, and after this follows the darkest period of Egyptian 
history, t 

* For a representation of the signet-ring of Cheops, or Shufu, see pic- 
ture of the Pyramids at the head of the chapter. 

t It was during the rule of one of the dynasties of Shepherd Kings 



EGYPT. 



^9 



I 



27. The revival of Eg^'ptian independence by the expul- 
sion of the " Shepherds " introduces us to the 

Third Period, or that of the New Empire. 
This continues for about one thousand years (1527-525 
B. c.) ; but it should be divided into two ages, — the grand 
'age and the age of decay. 

28. The expulsion of the Hyksos was due to the valor 
of a Theban prince, who headed a great na- 
tional uprising, and who received as his reward ^^^^ ^^^' 
the supreme authority over the whole country, — a right 
which was inherited by his successors. Egypt now became 
one great centralized power, with Thebes for its capital. 
The most splendid period of Egyptian history was from the 
eighteenth to the twentieth dynasties, — about three centu ries 
(1525-1200 B. c.).* Egyptian art attained its highest per- 
fection, and the great temple-palaces of Thebes were built. 
The Egyptians even undertook foreign expeditions : Ethi- 
opia, Arabia, and Syria were invaded ; the Euphrates was 
crossed, and a portion of Mesopotamia was added to the 
Eg}^ptian Empire. The chief of these warlike kings was 
Ram'eses II., the Sesos'tris of the Greek writers. 

29. From the twentieth dynasty onwards Egypt declined 
for six centuries, till finally it was conquered 

by the Persians under Camby'ses, 525 b. c. 
In 332 Egypt fell under the dominion of Alexander the 
Great, who founded on its shore the new capital and literary 
and commercial center called Alexandria. One of his gen- 
erals, named Ptolemy, received Egypt as his fragment of 

that Abraham visited Egypt, — said to be 1920 B. C, — and they were 
still reigning when Jacob and his sons settled in the country, 1706 B. C. 
* At the head of the eighteenth dynasty is supposed to have been that 
Pharaoh "who knew not Joseph." The exodus of the Israelites from 
Egypt is believed to have taken place 1320 B. c, during the reign of 
Meneptha, the fourth king of the nineteenth dynasty, — the Pharaoh 
whose heart was hardened, and who was drowned in the Red Sea. 



20 ANCIENT ORIENTAL MONARCHiES. 

the divided empire of Alexander, 323 b. c. Thenceforward 
for three centuries the Greek dynasty of the Ptolemies ruled 
on the banks of the Nile till Queen Cleopa'tra, the last of 
the line, being overcome by the Romans, died by her own 
hand ; and the venerable land became a Roman province 
in B. c. 30. (See under the history of Rome, p. 178.) 

2. EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION. 

30. In government, Egypt was a hereditary monarchy, but 
Government ^^^^ kingly rule took a peculiar form, owing to 

the extraordinary power of the priestly class. 
Unlike the sovereigns of the East, an Eg\'ptian Pharaoh 
was far from being the unquestioned master of his own ac- 
tions : his public duties and his daily habits of life were pre- 
scribed by religious rule ; so that the priestly class formed 
the " power behind the throne." In another respect an 
Egyptian king differed from an Eastern despot : his power 
over the lives and property of his subjects was strictly lim- 
ited t>y law, and nothing left to caprice and passion. The 
right to enact new laws, however, resided with the sovereign. 

31. The station in life of every man was fixed by an in- 

stitution named caste. By the system of caste, 
each individual, instead of being able to make 
his own place and fortune in the world, had his lot marked 
out by his birth : he had to be what his father was. Of 
these castes, or ranks, there were three broad divisions, — 
the priests, the soldiers, and the lower orders. 

32. The priests were the richest, most powerful, and most 

influential order. It must not be supposed, 
however, that the modern word " priest " gives 
the true idea of this caste. Its members were not limited 
to religious offices ; they formed an order comprising ma7iy 
occupations and professions. They were distributed all over 
the country, possessing exclusively the means of reading 



I 



EGYPT. 21 



I 



and writing, and the whole stock of medical and scientific 
knowledge. Their ascendency, both direct and indirect, 
over the minds of the people was immense, for they pre- 
scribed that minute religious ritual under which the life of 
every Egyptian, not excepting the king himself, was passed. 

33. Next in importance to the sacerdotal or priestly or- 
der was the military caste, numbering about ^^^^.^^^ 
400000. To each man of this soldier-caste 

was assigned a portion of land (= 6^ acres) free from any 
tax ; but he could not engage in any art or trade. The 
lands of the priests and soldiers were regarded as privileged 
property ; while the rest of the soil was considered as the 
property of the king, who rented it to cultivators, receiving 
from them one fifth of the produce. 

34. Widely separated from the priests and warriors were 
the various unprivileged castes. These were ^^^^^ ^^^^^^ 
the hushandmen, the artificers, and the herdsmen, 

each caste including many different crafts and occupations. 
The lowest caste was that of the herdsmen, and the low- 
est members of this caste were the swineherds, who were 
not permitted to enter the temples. All the castes below 
the priests and soldiers agreed, however, in this, that they 
had no political rights, and could not hold land. 

35. The effect of the caste-system was evil. It was one 
of the main causes of the decline of the nation. ^^^^^ of caste. 
It discouraged progress and improvement ; it 

crushed out personal ambition ; it produced dull uniformit>^ 

36. The population of ancient Egypt is known to have 
been at least five millions, and it may have p^p^j^^^j^^ 
been much more. As food was cheap and 
abundant, owing to its being easily obtained, the race in- 
creased very rapidly ; hence there was a large part of the 
people whose labor could be used in any way the rulers 
wished. This fact accounts for the ease with which great 
public works — works that, like the pyramids, were useless, 



22 



ANCIENT ORIENTAL MONARCHIES. 



but yet required the labor of hundreds of thousands of men 
for years — were constructed. 

37. Herodotus relates that Egypt contained 20,000 in- 

habited towns. The two most famous cities 
were Memphis and Thebes. Memphis was 
about twelve miles above the apex of the Delta. Scarcely 
a vestige of the place now remains ; but its great burial- 
place at Gizeh is still seen. Here are the great Pyramids, 
the colossal Sphinx, and miles on miles of rock-hewn 
tombs. Thebes was the metropolis of Upper Egypt, and 
the most splendid city of the Nile. The traveler who now 
views its ruins at Kar'nak and Lux'or beholds pillared 
temples and statues of a size so colossal as to seem like 
the work of giant hands. 

38. In some branches of art, especially in architecture, 
the Egyptians made great advances. The race 
seems indeed to have had a wonderful build- 

The dis- .— --.- 



Architecture. 



mg mstmct. 
tinguishing feature of 
Egyptian architecture is 
its vastness and sub- 
limit}'. Avenues of 
colossal sphinxes and 
lines of obelisks led 
to stupendous palaces 
and temples, elaborate- 
ly sculptured, and con- 
taining halls of solemn 
and gloomy grandeur, 
in which our largest 
cathedrals might stand. 
39. The pyramids 
were de- 

Pyramids. , , 

Signed as 
the sepulchers of kings. 




KuiN;, OK K.AKNAK. 



EGYPT. 



The three great pyramids of Gizeh are the most celebrated ; 
but as many as seventy stand on the left bank of the Nile, 
just beyond the cultivated ground, in the vicinity of Mem- 
phis. The largest of the three great pyramids is 450 feet 
high; it has a square base of 764 feet, and it covers an 
area of more than 13 acres, — twice the extent of any other 
building in the world. The second pyramid is but little 
less ; the third about half the size. In the construction of 
these works no degree of labor for any length of time seems 
to have intimidated the Egyptians. The huge blocks of 
stone, sometimes weighing 1600 tons each, were dragged 
for hundreds of miles on sledges ; in one case which is 
known, 2000 men were employed three years in bringing 
a single stone from the quarry to the structure in which it 
was to be placed. 

40. In sculpture the Egyptian artists aimed at the colos- 
sal, and never attained the beautiful. A re- 

, , , 1- • r T^ • 1 • Sculpture. 

markable peculiarity of Egyptian sculpture is, 
that, though the earliest monuments reveal a considerable 
degree of artistic skill, this skill never advanced. The ex- 
planation of this is found in the connection of Eg}^ptian art 
with Egyptian religion. The artists were fettered by strict 
rules, and were forbidden to indulge their inventive genius. 

41. Egyptian painting did not reach true excellence. The 
best specimens, as seen in the frescos in the 

r 1 11 11 1 Ml- Painting. 

interiors of the sepulchers, display brilliancy 
of coloring, and frequently great spirit and vivacity ; but 
the drawing is very inaccurate, displaying no observance of 
perspective or even the simplest laws of vision. It should 
be stated that in this branch of art, too, religion interfered to 
limit the taste and fancy of the painter, certain colors being 
positively prescribed in representing the bodies and draper- 
ies of the gods. 

42. The art of writing was practiced more extensively by 
the Egyptians than by any contemporary nation. The 



k 



24 ANCIENT ORIENTAL MONARCHIES. 

pyramids and monuments of even the earliest period bear 
inscriptions ; and it was the custom to mark 

Art of Writing, ^ . 1 , • , r 

every object and article of use or ornament. 
For manuscripts an excellent writing materiaPwas made 
from the leaves of the pa-py'rus plant, — whence our word 
"paper." Fragments of manuscripts on papyrus exist of 
the earliest Theban dynasties, — 2000 b. c. 

43. The translation of the sacred books of the Egyptians 

shows that their reliction embodied some strand 

Religion. . ^ . i r i • 

conceptions, — among others that of the immor- 
tality of the soul, and that of the existence of an invisible 
God. The several attributes and manifestations of the 
Deity were, however, represented in various forms, and, 
though by the priests and other learned men these were 
regarded as mere symbols, they became to the ignorant 
separate divinities and objects of worship. In this way 
the religious system of the Egyptians was very complicated, 
the number of gods being so great that every day of the 
year was consecrated to one. The worship of Osi'ris and 
Tsis was that most generally diffused. 

44. One of the most striking peculiarities of the Egyp- 
Worship of tian religion was the honor paid to brutes. 

animals. jj^^ ^^^^ ^.j^g ^^^^ ^j^^ jl^-g^ ^^^^ ^j^^ j^^^^^j^ ^^^^ 

held in reverence throughout the whole land, — other ani- 
mals were worshiped only in special nomes, or districts. 
The highest honors were paid to the bull Apis at Mem- 
phis, and to the calf MneVis at Heliop'olis. The sacred 
animals were kept in the temples, ministered to with the 
greatest care, and when they died they were embalmed. 
If a person killed an ibis or a hawk, whether intention- 
ally or unintentionally, he was immediately put to death. 
Animal worship received its extraordinary extension in 
Egypt owing to the overwhelming influence of the priestly 
caste. Ultimately it was a main cause of the mental de- 
basement of the people. 



EGYPT. 



25 



45. The practice of embalming dead bodies was con- 
nected with the pecuUar reUgious ideas of the Embalming. 
Ecn^ptians. The original reason of embalmnig 
*'^^ was the belief that at the day of 

judgment the soul would reunite 
with the body: hence the care 
taken to preserve the corpse from 
corruption, and hence also the 
great pains taken to ornament 
the interiors of their stone-hewn 
sepulchers, since, even while lying 
in the tomb, the body was be- 
lieved to be not wholly uncon- 
scious. 

4.6. The Egyptians were adepts 
in the finer kinds of Arts and man- 
mechanical art. In " ^'^ "''^^" 
the polishing and engraving of 
precious stones, in glass manu- 
facture, porcelain-making, and in 
embalming and dyeing, they had attained great skill. They 
raised flax, out of which they made fine Imen (Imen bemg 
their usual article of dress) ; they worked in metals from 
the earliest recorded period ; their walls and ceihngs they 
painted in beautiful patterns, which we still imitate ; and in 
the production of articles of use and ornament they had 
reached a perfection that modern art has not been able 

to surpass. , , . . 

47. It is known that the Egyptians had some acquamt- 
ance with certain sciences, especially geome- ^^^^^^^^ 
try, arithmetic, astronomy, and medicine. But 
their knowledge can hardly be called science, m the modern 
sense : they knew truths more as matters of fact and obser- 
vation than as determined by law. For example, the Greek 
philosopher Pythag'oras learned from the Egyptian priests 




Egyptian Mummy. 



26 



ANCIENT ORIENTAL MONARCHIES. 



the fad that " the square of the hypothenuse is equal to the 
sum of the squares of the two other sides " ; but it was the 
Greek mathematician himself who discovered the demonstra- 
Hon of this principle. In accuracy of astronomical obser- 
vations the Egyptians were surpassed by the Chaldaeans. 
Their geometry was little more than land-surveying. 

48. The great characteristic of Egyptian institutions was 
their iinchaiigeableness. This stationary char- 
acter is seen in Egyptian government, society, 
religion, art, and learning. Egypt herself was a inuvnny. 



Summing up. 



CHRONOLOGIC SUMMARY. 

r Beginning of Egyptian history with first dynasty 

r> • H °^ Manetho 

First Period, | p^^^^.^i^ dynasty, or period of the Pyramid-build - 

Old Empire. ^''^ 

Close of the Old Empire by the Hyksos inva- 



Second Period 

or 
Middle Empire. 



Third Period, 

or 
New Empire. 



Hyksos conquest of Lower Egypt . 
Complete subjugation of the whole country 
Abraham's visit to Egypt .... 
Settlement in Egypt of Jacob and his sons 
Expulsion of the Hyksos .... 

{ Revival of Egyptian independence under a The- 
ban dynasty 

Three most brilliant centuries of Egyptian his- 
toiy 1500- 

Exodus of the Israelites .... 

Egypt conquered by the Persians under Cam- 
byses 

Egypt conquered by the Greeks under Alex- 
ander 

Beginning of the nile of the Ptolemies (or Greek 
Later events. \ kings of Egypt) after the partition of Alex- 
ander's Empire 

Egypt becomes a Roman province after the 
death of Cleopatra 



B. C. 
2700 
2450 

2080 

2080 
1900 
1920 
1706 

1525 

1525 

- 1200 
1491 

525 

332 

323 
30 



ASSVRIAI^S AND BABYLONIANS. 



27 



CHAPTER III. 
THE ASSYRIANS AND BABYLONIANS. 



I, INTRODUCTION. 

49. To Egypt has been accorded the precedence of 
possessinp; the earUest secular historic records^ Antiquity of 

r ,••,!,, 1 1 Chaldaean civ- 

but an actual antiquity hardly later than that iiization. 

==^=. =^1:-^- ,^ of Egypt may 

^_^^^"^^ be claimed for 

^"^ _ _^^~ - -==— , the civilization 

which arose in 
the Tigro - Eu- 
phrates basin. 
There is a posi- 
tive date in 
Chaldaean his- 
tory going back 
to the 23d cen- 
tury B. c. (2234 
B. c. See IT 57, 
p. 30), while 
authentic Egyp- 
tian history an- 
tedates this by 

only two centuries (epoch of the Pyramid-builders, fourth 

dynasty, b. c. 2450). 

MAP STUDY. 

See map of Ancient Oriental Monarchies, opposite p. 8. 

I In what country do the Tigris and the Euphrates rise ? 2. Where 
is Mount Ararat? 3 What mountain chain between the Tigro-Euph rates 
basin and the plateau of Media and Persia ? 4. Describe the course of 
the Tigris. 5. Of the Euphrates. 6. Wliere do they unite? 7. Into 
what gulf do they empty? 8. Locate Nineveh ; Babylon ; Ur 




Source of the Tigris. 



28 ANCIENT ORIENTAL AIVA'ARCHIES. 

50. If, however, leaving profane records we take the guid- 
The Scripture ance of the Hebrew Scriptures, this region will 
record. claim an even greater antiquity. The Bible 
places the commencement of the history of mankind in the 
Tigro-Euphrates basin. " And it came to pass," says the 
Book of Genesis, " as they journeyed from the east, that they 
found a plain in the land of Shi'nar ;* and they dwelt there." 
T/iere the Scriptures place the building of Babel, the first 
great city founded after the Deluge, and there occurred the 
confusion of tongues and the dispersion of races. It is an 
interesting fact that the record of this event is preserved in 
the Babylonian tradition, as well as in the Mosaic narra- 
tive. 

51. Two great rivers, the Tigi'is and the Euphrates, take 
Sketch of geog- their rise in the highlands of Armenia, and 
raphy. imitc near the head of the Persian Gulf, which 
receives their waters after the Euphrates has flowed about 
1780 miles and the Tigris about 1150. The valleys of 
these streams interpose as a belt of fertility in the midst of 
the great desert zone that extends from the western coast 
of Africa almost to the northeastern shores of Asia. 

52. The Tigro-Euphrates basin comprises a number of 
Geographical territorial and political divisions which it is 
divisions. ^^^ always easy to mark by definite lines. The 
region between the two great rivers was called by the Greeks 
Mesopotamia, and by the Hebrews Shinar. Chaldaea was 
the name applied to the region south of the lower course of 
the Euphrates, and to the head of the Persian Gulf. These 
we may call territorial divisions ; but Babylonia, on the other 
hand, was a political division which took in the alluvial 
plain between the lower waters of the Tigris and Euphra- 
tes (Southern Mesopotamia or Shinar), and also Chaldaea 
southward to the Arabian desert. Again, the territorial di- 

* Shinar, that is, Mesopotamia. See Map of Ancient Oriental Mon- 
archies, opposite p. 8. 



ASSYRIANS AND BABYLONIANS. 29 

vision of Assyria Proper lay east of the Tigris and west of 
the Zagros Mountains, and must not be confounded with 
Assyria as a political power, that is, the Assyrian Empire, 
which varied in extent, and the name of which was often 
applied to the whole territory between the Mediterranean 
Sea and the table-land of Media and Persia. Susiana lay 
along the Tigris, southeast of Assyria, and was a territorial, 
not a national, designation. 

53. The Tigro-Euphrates basin was the seat of three 
successive kingdoms: — i. The early Babylo- The three na- 
nian, or Chaldaean, Kingdom ; 2. The Assyrian *'°"^- 
Empire ; 3. The later Babylonian Kingdom. 

54. As in the case of Egypt, our knowledge of the an- 
cient history of these countries has been very Modern re- 
greatly enlarged through modern research. ^^^^'^^• 

By the industry of explorers, beginning with Layard thirty 
years ago, Nineveh and Babylon and the buried cities of 
the plain have been unearthed ; their palaces and temples 
have been exposed to view ; the mysterious inscriptions 
in the wedge-shaped or cu-ne'i-form character, which were 
found covering the slabs that lined the interiors of the 
palaces and temples, have, by a triumph of modern schol- 
arship, been translated ; and thus a flood of light has been 
cast on the darkness of the primeval world. 



2. EARLY BABYLONIAN, OR CHALDEAN, KINGDOM. 

55. The earliest of the three kingdoms was the Chaldcean, 
or Early Babylonian, which aiose in the lower physical de- 
part of the rich alluvial plain lying above the ^cription. 
Persian Gulf. Chaldoea by its natural fertility was calcu- 
lated to be one of the first seats of human society. It 
is the only country in which wheat is known to be indi- 
genous. Other cereals grew plentifully ; groves of the 
magnificent date-palm fringed the banks of the rivers ; the 



30 ANCIENT ORIENTAL MONARCHIES. 

vine and other fruits abounded, while the rivers teemed 
with fish. 

56. Authentic history in the Tigro-Euphrates basin, as 
Earliest his- in the Nile Valley, commences only with the 
*°''y- formation in Chaldaea and Babylonia of one 
united kingdom, including previously disunited tribes under 
its authority. The Hebrew records name Nimrod, the son 
of Cush, as the founder of this kingdom ; and the Book of 
Genesis also reveals to us the existence of a Tetrapolis, or 
confederation of four cities, that ruled over the Empire 
established by Nimrod ; namely, i. Babylon; 2. E'rech ; 3. 
Ac'cad ; 4. Cal'neh, — all of which places have been iden- 
tified in modern times. 

57. The primitive Chaldaeans practiced the worship of the 

heavenly bodies. Their relisrion, combined 

Astronomy. . , , ^ ... . ~r i i i i • i- 

With the facilities anorded by their climate 
and their level horizon, led them from the earliest times to 
the study of astronomy, in which they made very consider- 
able progress. When Alexander the Great took possession 
of Babylon, 331 b. c, he found a series of astronomical ob- 
servations taken by the Chaldaeans for an unbroken period 
of 1903 years. These observations would therefore date 
from 2234 B. c. (331 + 1903). 

58. The Chaldaeans showed from the first an architect- 

ural tendency. The attempt to build a tower 
" which should reach to heaven," made here 
(Genesis xi. 4), was in accordance with the general spirit 
of the people. Out of such simple and rude material as 
brick and bitumen vast edifices, the ruins of which have re- 
cehtly been found, were constructed, pyramidal in design, 
but built in steps or stages of considerable altitude. 

59. Other arts also flourished. Letters in the cuneiform, 

or wedge-shaped, characters were in use ; and 
the baked bricks employed by the royal build- 
ers had commonly a legend stamped in their center. Gems 



ASSVJ^/AJVS AND BABYLONIANS. 31 

were cut, polished, and engraved. Metals of many kinds 
were worked and fashioned into arms, ornaments, and im- 



RlAfi^CSfi-^iWi 



WKi-M^^ 



^i^KHiia^j^ 






t7TP4^^f!4^I^Hi$^ 



Babylonian Brick. 

plements. Delicate fabrics were manufactured by their 
looms. Commerce was carried on with other countries, 
and the " ships of Ur " traded along the shores of the 
Persian Gulf. 

60. The site of Ur is believed to have been identified 
with certain mounds and ruins on the banks of 

the lower Euphrates. This place is interesting 
in connection with Abraham, who was born at " Ur of the 
Chaldees." The period of Abraham is usually put at about 
two thousand years before the Christian era. I'he belief is 
that Chaldaea contained at this time a Semitic population 
which professed a pure form of religion, in the midst of the 
idolatrous Chaldaeans ; and hence Abraham, who was a 
Semite, emigrated with his family and flocks and herds to 
the land of Canaan. 

61. The Chaktean monarchy continued for several cen- 
turies ; but about the 13th century b. c. it took Decline of 

a secondary position, and the newly arisen As- chaidaea. 
Syrian nation became the dominant power of Mesopotamia. 



32 ANCIENT ORIENTAL MONARCIJIES. 




3. ASSYRIA. 



62. The Assyrians are believed to have been a Semitic 

population who originally lived in Chaldaea, but 

Early history. ^/ 1 • , , , 

who at an early period removed to the upper 
course of the Tigris. Here there grew up a kingdom which 
at first was subject to the Chaldaean ruler at Babylon, but 
which finally, about 1250 b. c, became independent. As- 
syria advanced rapidly and completely overshadowed Baby- 
lonia ; and for six centuries, down to the fall of Nineveh, 
625 B. c, was the great imperial poiver of Western Asia. 

63. The six centuries of Assyrian history may be divid- 
Two periods cd into two pcriods. The first period is from 
of Assyria. ^^ independence of Assyria (about 1250 e. c.) 
to the foundation of the New Assyrian Empire under 
Tig'lath-pi-le'ser IL, 745 b. c. ; the second is from the ac- 
cession of Tiglath-pileser II. to the fall of Nineveh, 625 b. c. 



ASSVR/A/VS AND BABYLONIANS. 33 



64. Among the famous monarchs of the first period were 
Tidath-pileser I. (i i xo b. c), a conquering: 

? ,*,.,. , /, . " , *^ Chief events. 

prmce, and Asshur-idanni-pal (the original of 
Sardanapalus, but wholly unlike that mythic king), to whose 
time belong the winged bulls and lions and the sculptured 
palace-walls which have been dug from the ruins of Calah. 
Towards the end of this period Nabonas'sar, the ruler ot 
Babylon, not only made himself independent, but gained a 
certain supremacy over Assyria. The date of this event, 747 
B. c, is known as the "era of Nabonassar." In 745 b. c, 
however, the authority of Assyria was revived by Tiglath- 
pileser II., with whose accession begins the second period 
of Assyrian history. This monarch was a great conqueror, 
as were also his successors, Sargon and Shalmaneser IV. ; 
but the most splendid reign during the second period was that 
of Sennach'erib (705-681 b. c.j, who made extensive con- 
quests, and was the builder of magnificent structures at Nine- 
veh. This second period was the golden age of Assyrian art. 

65. The countries included within the limits of Assyria, 
at the height of its glory, were Babylonia (cov- Extent of the 
ering all the territory of the early Chaldasan ^"^P're. 
Kinglom), Mesopotamia, Media, Syria, Phoenicia, a large 
part of Palestine, Arabia, and Egypt. Under the Assyrian 
rule the subject states were generally allowed to retain their 
own government, but their kings were compelled to do hom- 
age and pay tribute to the Assyrian monarch as the " king 
of kings." 

66. The vast empire of Assyria was never more than a 
loosely tied bundle of petty states. The rec- ^ 

-' "■ ' 11- Cause of decay. 

ords of the kmgs, engraved on slabs and cylin- 
ders, reveal a constant succession of revolts, wars, subjuga- 
tions, and deportations of whole populations. Thus Assyria 
had no inherent strength, and after culminating in the 7th 
century it began rapidly to fall in pieces. 

67. In the 7th century Babylon made a successful rebel- 

2* c 



34 



ANCIENT ORIENTAL MONARCHIES. 



Closing events. 



lion ; and when the Median conqueror Cyax'ares led a force 
from beyond the Zagros chain to attack As- 
syria, he was joined by the Babylonians under 
Nabopolas'sar, the Assyrians were overthrown, Nineveh was 
captured, its splendid palaces and temples were given to the 
flames, and Assyria fell, never to rise again, 625 b. c. 

68. Nineveh was rather an assemblage of fortified pal- 
Nineveh de- aces and temples, interspersed with clusters of 
scribed. meaner dwellings built of sun-dried bricks, than 
what is now understood by a city. For about sixty miles 
mounds of ruins dot the banks of the Tigris : these doubtless 
formed part of Nineveh ; but the heart of the vanished city 
seems to be represented by the mounds that are opposite 
the modern town of Mosul. So complete was its demolition, 
that even in the 4th century b. c, — time of Alexander the 
Great, — almost every vestige of it had disappeared. 

69. Summing up what the Assyrian people contributed 
Assyrian civi- to civilization, we find that their genius took 
lization. mainly the form of art and manufactures. In 
letters and in science __ _ _ =^^ 



they were behind both 
the Chaldaeans and the 
Egyptians. Architec- 
ture was their chief 
glory, and the palaces 
of Nineveh must have 
been of extraordinary 
splendor. Their sculp- 
ture, too, though never 
attaining Grecian purity 
and perfection, was far 
in advance of Egyptian 
stiffness and conven- 
tionalism : it displays a 
wonderful grandeur, dignity, boldness, and strength. 




ASSVA'/AXS AND BABYLONIAA'S. 35 

70. In the useful and mechanical arts, they had reached 
great skill. They not only had transparent ^^^ ^^^^ 
glass, but even lenses ; they were well ac- 
quainted with the principle of the arch, and constructed 
tunnels, aqueducts, and drains ; they knew the use of the 
pulley, the lever, and the roller ; they understood the arts of 
inlaying, enameling, and overlaying with metals ; they cut 
gems with the greatest skill and finish, and in the ordinary 
arts of life they were, twenty-five centuries ago, nearly on 
a par with the boasted achievements of the moderns. 



4. LATER BABYLONIAN KINGDOM. 

71. During the six centuries of Assyrian dominion, — 
12^0 to 62 < B.C., — Babylon had been par- Political situ- 

•^ ^ ' • /^i 1 1 ation of Baby- 

tially eclipsed ; but the ancient Chaldaean or ion. 
Babylonian nation never entirely lost its spirit of indepen- 
dence. When Assyria was overthrown by the Medes, 625 
B. c, Nabopolassar, who had aided the Medes, received as 
his share of the spoil the undisputed possession of Baby- 
lonia. 

72. This later Babylonian Kingdom lasted for 87 years 
(625-538 B.C.), till overthrown by the new Extent of his- 
conquering power of Persia. *°''^* 

73. Nabopolassar, the first monarch of the new Babylo- 
nian Kingdom, was succeeded by his son Nebu- Nebuchadnez- 
chadnez'zar, under whom the empire reached ^^""^ 

its height of glory. Having in early life proved the sharp- 
ness of his sword upon Egypt, this king, during his long 
reign of forty-three years, undertook other wars, in which 
the siege of Tyre and the siege of Jerusalem stand out as 
conspicuous achievements. Besides his conquests, Nebu- 
chadnezzar distinguished himself by almost entirely rebuild- 
ing the city of Babylon. With his " unbounded command 
of naked human strength," he apphed himself to those 



36 ANCIENT ORIENTAL MONARCHIES. 

works which afterwards called forth his celebrated boast : 
" Is not this Great Babylon, that I have built for the house 
of the Kingdom, by the might of my power, and for the 
honor of my majesty ? " 

74. Babylon was a square city at least five times as 

large as London, and traversed diagonally by 

Babylon. , r^ , \ ,, or,-,, 

the Euphrates. Its walls — 33b feet high and 
85 feet thick — were studded with towers and pierced with 
brazen gates. Its palaces and its hanging gardens — a 
system of terraces in imitation of mountain scenery, formed 
to please Nebuchadnezzar's Median queen — were among 
the wonders of the world. 

75. Nebuchadnezzar was followed by four kings, the 

last of whom was Nabona'dius. This mon- 

Later kings. i , • -r-. i i 

arch had made his son Belshaz'zar the partner 
of his throne, and it is the name of Belshazzar that appears 
in the Scriptures in connection with the capture of Babylon. 

76. At this time a new power appeared from beyond the 
Persian con- Zagros Mountains. This power was the con- 
quest, quering army of the newly risen dominion of 
Persia. Under the command of the great Cyrus the Per- 
sians had gained ascendency over the Medes and begun 
a career of conquest. Appearing Jn Mesopotamia, they 
laid siege to Babylon, which was entered by diverting the 
course of the Euphrates, 538 b. c. Herodotus states that 
Babylon was taken " amid revelries," — thus confirming 
the account given in the Scriptures of the circumstances of 
the capture. The fearful handwriting on the palace wall, 
and the terrible denunciation of the prophet, form a scene 
too deeply impressed on our memories to need repetition 
here. 

77. In the fall of Babylonia the last of the three Meso- 

potamian kingdoms disappears from the stage 

Later history. ^ ^ . . ^ , , , t^ • • f 

of history. Conquered by the Persians in the 
6th century, Assyria and Babylonii became, two centuries 



ASSV/i!/AJVS AND BABYLONIANS. 37 

later, a part of the vast possessions of Alexander the Great. 
Alexander designed Bab3'lon to be the capital of his empire, 
and was preparing to restore its ancient splendor when he 
was prematurely cut off. Thenceforth its decay was rapid, 
and it is now a vast heap of ruins, tenanted only by the 
beasts and birds that love to haunt solitary places. 

78. The Babylonians were a mixed race, partly Hamites 
and partly Semites, and in some of their traits Babylonian 
they differed from the Assyrians. Their " wis- *^"^*"''^- 
dom and learning " are celebrated both by the Jewish writers 
and by the Greek historians. They were careful observers 
of astronomical phenomena, and they had made considerable 
advance in mathematics. In science the Greeks confessed 
themselves the disciples of Babylonian teachers. 

79. They were eminently a commercial people : their 
land was a " land of traffic " and their city a 

"city of merchants." The looms of Babylon 
were famous for the production of textile fabrics, especially 
carpets and muslins ; and these were exchanged for the 
frankincense of Arabia, for the pearls and gems of India, 
for tin and copper from Phoenicia, and for the fine wooi, 
lapis lazuli^ silk, gold, and ivory of the far East. 



CHRONOLOGIC SUMMARY. 

B. C. 

First authentic date in Chaldaean history .... 2234 

Chaldaean subjection and Assyrian independence . . . 1250 

Age of Tiglath-pileser 1 1 130 

Era of Nabonassar 747 

Assyrian revival under Tiglath-pileser II. .... . 745 

Overthrow of Assyria by the Medes under Cyaxares . . 625 
Later Babylonian kingdom established . . . . .625 

Accession of Nebuchadnezzar ....... 604 

Capture of Babylon by Cyrus 538 



38 ANCIENT ORIENTAL MONARCHIES. 



CHAPTER IV. 
THE HEBREWS. 

80. Jewish history is the subject of particular study in 
Sacred his- Connection with the Scriptures. Hence no 
^^^^' detailed account of this people is required in 
this work. All that need be done is to indicate the few 
general points of contact with the world's history. 

81. The Hebrews were a pure Semitic race, and hence 

were kinsmen of the Phoenicians, Arabs, and 

The race. , . * ,. 1 *-. • 1 

Assyrians. Accordmg to the Scriptures, the 
father of this people was Abraham, who in the 20th cen- 
tury B. c. removed from the plains of Mesopotamia to Ca- 
naan, the " promised land." 

82. The history of Abraham, and of his sons and grand- 
Period of jew- sons, is simply the story of a nomad family; 
ish history. ^^^ j^ jg j^Q^ ^-jj j.j^g ^j,^g j^£ ^j^g departure of 

the children of Israel from Egypt that Jewish national his- 
tory begins. This event is supposed to have taken place in 
1320. The interval between that event and the absorption 
of Judaea in the Roman Empire may be divided into four 
periods : — 

I. From the Exodus to the establishment of the mon- 
archy under Saul, 1320 - 1095 b. c. 

II. From the establishment of the monarchy to the sep- 
aration of the two kingdoms, 1095-975 B. c. 

III. From the separation of the kingdoms to the Babylo- 
nian captivity, 975 - 586 b. c. 

IV. From the Babylonian captivity to the absorption of 
Judaea by Rome, 586-63 b. c. 

83. During the first period the Hebrew government was 
a theocracy (or a government of God), the divine will being 



THE HEBREWS. 



39 



manifested through 
affairs there was a 
" Judges " ; these 
office by revela- 
tion from heav- 
en, and they 
were obeyed by 
common con- 
sent, but they 
claimed no hon- 
ors of royalty. 
The last of this 
line of rulers 
was the prophet 
Samuel. 

84. The sec- 
ond period of 
Jewish history 
includes the era 
of the united 
monarchy, and 
it continues dur- 
ing three reigns. 
The first of the 
kings was Saul, 
who after a 
stormy reign of 
forty years was 



the high-priest. For the conduct of 
succession of rulers and 



were designated to their 



First Period. 




-^ i^Q / DOMINION 

OF SOLOMON 




and I*horn ic ia. 



MAP STUDY. 
I. What sea formed the western boundary of the Holy Land? 2. 
What was its eastern boundary? 3. What was the situation of Phoe- 
nicia with reference to Palestine ? 4. Name the chief river in the Holy 
Land. 5. Locate the Dead (or Salt) Sea. 6. In what part was the 
Kingdom of Judah ? 7. The Kingdom of Israel ? 8. Where was the 
seat of the Philistines? 9. Name the seaports. 10. Locate Jerusalem; 
Samaria: Tadmor. 



40 ANCIENT ORIENTAL MONARCHIES, 

succeeded by his son-in-law, David. This monarch, the 
greatest who ever ruled the nation, conquered Jerusalem 
from the Jeb'usites, and made it the seat both of the 
national government and religion. By his wars David ex- 
tended his dominion from the Red Sea to the Euphrates, 
and subdued the Philis'tines and other Syrian tribes. His 
son Solomon succeeded him in 1015 b. c. 

85. Under Solomon (1015-975 B.C.), the Israelites be- 
Reign of Solo- Came the paramount race in Syria, and the 
'"°"' Jewish state was a real nnperial power. At 
this time it had relations both with Egypt and Phoenicia ; 
Solomon shared the profits of Syrian commerce, and mar- 
ried the daughter of a Pharaoh. 

86. A third period, one of decline, set in immediately 
Period of de- after the reign of Solomon. The subject 
'^^'"^* states threw off the Jewish yoke ; disunion 
took place among the Jews themselves, and the imperial 
power crumbled into two petty kingdoms, — that of Israel 
(capital at Samaria), composed of ten out of the twelve 
tribes, and that of Judah (capital at Jerusalem), made up of 
the other two. 

87. The kingdom of Israel lasted for about 250 years. 
Israel and ^^ ^^^ finally Overwhelmed by Sargon, king 
Judah. Qf Assyria, and the ten tribes were carried 
into captivity, 721 b. c. The kingdom of Judah con- 
tinued more than a century afterwards ; but Jerusalem 
was captured by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon (586 
B. c), the population of Judah were torn from their homes 
to pine in Babylon, and the history of the Jews ceased for 
seventy years. The triumph of Cyrus over Babylonia was 
followed by an edict by which the Jews were restored to 
their homes (536 b. c). 

88. The interval between the return from captivity to the 

conquest of the Romans forms the Fourth 
Period of Jewish history. During this time 



THE HEBREWS. 



41 



the nation underwent many vicissitudes. First it formed a 
satrapy or province of the Persian Empire ; then, in 332 
B. c, it came under the sway of Alexander the Great, and 
for a hundred years after his death it was ruled by the 
Ptolemies of Egypt. The Greek language now became 
common in Judaea, and the Septuagint Version of the Penta- 
teuch was prepared in that language under the direction of 
Ptolemy Philadelphus. In the year 166 b. c. the Jews threw 
off the foreign yoke and secured their national independence ; 
but a century later, Jerusalem was captured by the Roman 
general Pompey (63 b. c), and Judaea became a part of the 

Roman prov- 
ince of Syria. 
The Jews were 
not obedient 
subjects, and 
drew down on 
themselves se- 
vere punish- 
ments. At 
length, in the 

year 70 a. d., Jerusalem was again taken after a long siege 
by Titus, the city was razed to the ground, and the nation 
became dispersed, as it now is, throughout every country 
of the world. 

89. In summing up Hebrew history as a whole we notice : 
I. That, in geographical extent, the Jewish state g^^^^^^y 
was but a limited domain, — the whole country 

* This interesting coin was struck in a. d. 77. The face of the coin 
(the obverse), shown on the left-hand side, represents the laurel-crowned 
head of Titus, with the inscription T[itus] CAES[ar] lMP[erator] 
AUG[usti] F[ilius] TR[ibunicia] P[otestate] CO[n]S[ul] VI [i. e. sex- 
turn] CENSOR ; that is, Titus Caesar, Imperator.son of Augustus [i. e. 
Vespasian], with tribunitial power, sixth time consul, censor. On the 
back of the coin (or reverse), at the right-hand side, is a female figure 
seated under a palm-tree, behind which are a standard, helmets, etc. ; 
and on this side is the inscription IVDAEA CAPTA, i. e. yiniaa taken. 




Coin of Titus. 



4 3 ANCIENT ORIENTAL MONARCHIES. 

being only 150 miles long by about 50 miles wide ; 2. That, 
compared with the great Oriental empires, with Assyria and 
Babylonia, Egypt and Persia, its political importance was 
slight ; 3. That the Jewish people contributed little to 
ancient civilization, so far as regards art, science, or politics. 
90. The meaning and the mission of the Hebrew race 
Mission of the wcre not in these forms of activity : it was 
J^^^- given that people to influence the world in an 

entirely different way, namely, through spiritual truths and 
moral ideas embodied in sublime forms by bards and sages. 
These works, reverenced by us as the body of Old Testa- 
ment literature, remain the permanent possession of the 
whole human family. 



CHRONOLOGIC SUMMARY. 

B.C. 

Migration of Abraham (about) 1920 

The Exodus 1320 

Establishment of the monarchy under Saul 1095 

Accession of Solomon 1015 

Division of the kingdom 975 

Captivity of the Israelites 721 

Capture of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar (Babylonish captivity). 586 

Return of the Jews 536 

Subjugation of Judaea by Alexander 332 

Absorption by Rome 63 



THE PHCENICIANS. 43 



CHAPTER V. 
THE PHCENICIANS. 

91. Phcenicia was one of the most important countries of 
the ancient world, and to us the Phoenicians interest of 
are one of the most interesting peoples of early *^^*'' history, 
history. The interest and importance of this nation do not 
arise from the extent of its territory, — for Phoenicia proper 
was all comprised in a mere strip of land between Mount 
Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea, — but from the fact 
that the Phoenicians hold a high place in the history of 
primitive civilization. 

92. The Phoenicians were the earliest commercial and 
colonizing people on the shores of the Medi- Traders and 
terranean Sea. There they preceded the Greeks, Coio"^"'-^- 
who subsequently became their great rivals in trading and in 
planting setUements. It was not until about 1000 b. c. that 
the Greeks began to push off from the mainland and to oc- 
cupy the islands of the ^g^an Sea and the shores of Asia 
Minor, — and when they did commence to spread themselves 
from the mainland to the islands, they found the Phoenicians 
already settled there. 

93. As early, probably, as the 9th century b. c. the enter- 
prising Phoenicians had founded on the north- ^^^^^ 

ern coast of Africa the colony of Carthage, 
which became the most famous of the Phoenician colonies, 
and which, five or six hundred years after this, guided by the 
military genius of Han'nibal, ventured to cope with the 
mighty power of the Roman Commonwealth. 

94. The Phoenicians had gone even farther: they had 
made their way beyond what the Greeks called Extent of set- 
the " Pillars of Hercules," that is, the Strait of ti^'"^"*^- 



44 



ANCIENT ORIENTAL MONARCHIES. 



Gibraltar, and had sailed 
into the Atlantic Ocean. 
There they had founded 
the city of Ga'des (now 
Cadiz). Sailing over the 
Atlantic, their merchants 
sought the southern parts 
of the British Islands to 
procure tin from Cornwall. 
In the Eastern seas the 
Phoenicians had made es- 
tablishments on the Ara- 
bian and Persian Gulfs, 
whence they traded with 
India and Ceylon and the 
coasts of Africa. Thus 
we see that the Phoeni- 
cians were navigators, mer- 
chants, and planters of 
colonies several centuries 
before the Greeks rose to 
any note in the world. 

95. The Phoenicians as 
Influence of planters of 
colonies. colonics had 

an important influence on 
the progress of civilization. 



from the Mediterranean Sea 




and of political freedom ; and 



MAP STUDY. 

I. AYhere was Phoenicia ? 2. What nation immediately south .? 3. In 
what respect was Phoenicia well situated for commerce ? 4. Name the 
five principal Phoenician cities. 5. Where was the territory of Carthage ? 
6. The city of Carthage .? 7. Utica? 8. What was the name of the 
Phoenician territory in southern Spain? 9. Where was Gades ? 10. 
Name the large Mediterranean islands in which the Phoenicians had 
colonies. 



THE FI/CEAVCIAA'S. 45, 

we must now try to understand how this was. Colonies are 
founded by trading nations for the purpose of securing a 
lucrative commerce, by establishing a market for the manu- 
factured produce of the parent state, and a carrying-trade 
for its merchants and seamen. This is the 7notivc; and we 
see that it contrasts very noticeably with the cause that leads 
despotic states to form military establishments, — which is 
mere lust of conquest for conquest's sake. Colonies plant- 
ed by commercial states require to be flourishing in order 
that the mother country shall have profitable relations with 
them. The parent country, knowing this, leaves the colonies 
to the guidance of persons advanced in political knowledge, 
who know how to adapt the institutions of the home gov- 
ernment to the actual state of affairs in the new settlement : 
hence it has generally happened that civil libert}^ has devel- 
oped more rapidly in commercial colonies than in the par- 
ent country itself. 

96. The ancient Phoenicians were the inventors of the 
first perfect alphabet. This is a very sio^nifi- 

1 . . r r „ 1 . • , Alphabet. 

cant and mterestmg fact ; for, all thmgs consid- 
ered, the art of alphabetical writing is probably the most 
important invention ever made by man. We have seen 
that the Egyptians developed the germ of the alphabet ; but 
the Egyptian writing was only in part phonetic : hence the 
hieroglyphic alphabet was very cumbersome, consisting of 
several hundred characters, no sound having one fixed and 
invariable character to represent it. The cuneiform, wedge- 
shaped, or arrow-headed characters of the Babylonians and 
Assyrians were not truly phonetic : they represented, as a 
general thing, syllables rather than sounds. It was reserved 
for the Phoenicians to adopt the apparently simple, yet in- 
genious and beautiful, device of determining the few ele- 
mentary sounds of language and appropriating one distinc- 
tive character to represent each sound. The period of the 
invention is not definitely known. 



46 ANCIENT ORIENTAL MONARCHIES. 

97. The Greeks were directly indebted to the Phoeni- 

cians for the alphabet ; the Romans adopted 

Cadmus. ^ r^ ^ i ^ \ • , 1 1 

the Greek alphabet with some changes ; the 
Roman alphabet is the basis of our modern alphabets. 
The Greeks themselves were ignorant of precisely how they 
obtained the alphabet from the Phoenicians. The account 
they gave is that " Cadmus brought sixteen letters from 
Phoenicia into Greece, to which Palame'des, in the time of 
the Trojan war, added four more, and Simon'ides afterwards 
added four."* Modern scholars have proved that Cadmus 
is a mere fabled name signifying "the East." However, it 
is quite certain that the Greeks did derive their alphabet 
from Phoenicia. The transition from the Phoenician to the 
Greek may be readily perceived by examining the table on 
the opposite page. 

98. The origin of the Phoenician nation is lost in the 
Origin of the darkncss that shrouds primitive history. It 
Phoenicians. j^ j^^owu that, like the Hebrews, they were 
pure Semites. There is reason to believe that they were 
emigrants from Chaldaea, and as it is recorded in the He- 
brew Scriptures that Abraham came out of " Ur of the 
Chaldees," we may infer that Southern Mesopotamia was 
the native seat of the Semites. When the Phoenician branch 
of the Semites reached their new home on the shores of 
the Mediterranean, they found an aboriginal population of 
Ca'naanites, whom they subdued, just as the Jews did in 
Judaea. We also know that the Phoenician and Jewish 
rulers and peoples were connected by ties of friendship. 
Hiram, King of Tyre, was the friend both of David and of 
Solomon. 

99. Phoenicia consisted of several independent states, 
Nature of the cach city, in fact, being a separate state, under 
"^'*°°* its own king ; and only in times of danger did 
they occasionally unite under the leadership of the most 

* Pliny. 





TY/i? PHCENICIANS. 




47 


HEBREW. 


PHINICIAN. 


ANCIENT GREEK. 


UTER CREEK. 


ENGLISH. 


is: 


^^ 


A/<;^A 


A A 


A 


n 


^ 


^ ^ 


B 


B 


:3 


A\ 


/<\AZ 


r 


G 


^ 


A^ 


^ZlVP 


z^ 


D 


^ 


\ 


^^/^/S^^ 


E e 


E 


^ 


1 


A /^ 




F 


1 


Z 


X 2 -zr 


z 


Z 


n 


H 


B N 




H 


CD 


(^ 


0® e ^D 





Th 


•» 


-^ 


^ ^ t 


1 


I 


:3 


>1 >l 


H H K 


K 


K 


^ 


< u 


AVJ/- 


A 


L 


D 


^ 


^ y/w^^ 


M 


M 


:] 


a 


^H^A 


N 


N 


D 


w 


f ^ 


i.^ 


X 


)/ 


o 


oo ♦ a 


O 





,!D 


1 


n r 


n 


p 


^l> 


'ti 


Q 




Q 


^ 


^^1 


4'=l?/^/'if> 


P 


R 


w 


yf4^wv 


A/\^r^> 


Z C 


S 


t] 


^-r/^ 


T \ 


T 


T 


«^ 


V X 


OMITTED NOT BEING IN GREEK 




tz 



48 



ANCIENT ORIENTAL MONARCHIES. 




Tyre, and Phcenician Galley. 



powerful. The chief cities of Phoenicia proper were Sidon 
and Tyre. Of these Sidon was the more ancient ; and pre- 
vious to about 1050 B. c, when Tyre became predominant, 
it was the most flourishing of 
all the Phoenician commu- 
nities. About 1050 there 
was a transfer of power to 
Tyre. 

100. The commerce of 

Commerce of Tyre is dc- 

'^y'"^- scribed as very 

extensive at this time. Her 
ships sailed to Tarshish 
(the south of Spain), and 
sought the gold of Ophir, 
along the east coast of Af- 
rica. Phoenicia grew rich 
also by exports, of which the chief were the embroidery and 
glass of Sidon and the Tyrian purple, a dye yielded by two 
shell-fish, which gave a high value to the stuffs woven in 
the Tyrian looms. The Phoenicians were also skillful in 
metallurgy ; and their bronzes, their gold and silver ves- 
sels, and other works in metal, had a high repute. 

101. Phoenicia was successively subject to Assyria, in the 
Revolution of Qth ccutury ; to the Babylonians, under Nebu- 
pohtics. chadnezzar, at the close of the 7th century ; 
to the Persians, under Cambyses, towards the close of 
the 6th century ; and to the Greeks, under Alexander the 
Great, in the 4th century b. c. Still later it was absorbed 
in the universal dominion of Rome, d^^ b. c. 

102. The greatest period of Phoenician history was dur- 
Generai sur- ing the five hundred years from the nth to the 
^^^- 6th century b. c. As Greece rose to power, and 
as Carthage increased in importance, the sea-trade of Phoe- 
nicia was to a considerable degree checked. However, she 



THE PHCENICfANS. 



49 



continued to preserve a great caravan-trade with the interior 
of Asia via Babylon. The foundation of Alexandria as a 
seaport must have damaged the commerce of Phoenicia. 
Still, it was not until the Middle Ages that her light went 
out, and she became a "place for the drying of nets." 

103. The Phoenicians deserve to be commemorated in 
history by the side of the Greek and the Latin Part played by 
nations, as the only one of the Asiatic peoples cians. '^"*' 
that became a diffiiser of civilization. We should note, how- 
ever, that their development was very one-sided. Thus 
their religious conceptions were rude and uncouth, and this 
is a remarkable fact, when we consider their kinship with 
the Hebrews. In learning and in artistic productions they 
were far behind the Babylonians ; so that in intellectual 
matters they appear to have been adaptors rather than 
originators. Again, unlike the Greeks and Latins, the 
Phoenicians seem to have been devoid of genuine political 
instinct : liberty had no charm for them, and they aspired 
not after dominion. " Careless they dwelt," says the Book 
of Judges, " after the manner of the Sidonians, quiet and 
secure." 

104. The Phoenicians were a race essentially material- 
istic and commercial. They were the earliest Their civiiiza- 
merchants, carriers, and colonizers. It is true *'°"" 

that, vicideiitally, they were the means of diffusing intel- 
lectual wares that were more valuable than all the products 
of the Sidonian shops or the fabrics of the Tyrian looms : 
they spread the alphabet, and they gave to the Aryan races 
on the shores of the Mediterranean ideas of learning, sci- 
ence, and art which they themselves had borrowed from 
the East; but these ideas were scattered by them "more 
after the fashion of a bird dropping grains than of the 
husbandman sowing his seed."* 



Mommsen, History of Rome. 



50 ANCIENT ORIENTAL MONARCHIES. 



CHAPTER VI. 
THE HINDOOS. 

105. The Oriental nations of which we have thus far 

learned have been either Semites or Hamites. 
' We are now to inquire into the history of the 
two Asiatic representatives of the great Aryan race, — the 
Hindoos and the Persians. 

106. We have already seen that the forefathers of all the 
First seat of great European peoples came originally from 
the Aryans. Wcstcm Asia, whcrc they dwelt side by side 
with the ancestors of the Persians and Hindoos. But the 
original seat of the undivided Aryan family was not Persia 
or India. The Persians were immigrants into Persia, and 
the Hindoos into India, just as the Greeks, Latins, Teutons, 
Celts, and Slavonians were immigrants into Europe. The 
original seat of the undivided Aryan stock is fixed by schol- 
ars to the northeast of Persia, in the region of the Oxus and 
Jax-ar'tes rivers. 

107. The primitive Hindoos, leaving their native seat, 
Hindoo migra- first Settled in the northwestern part of India. 
^^°^' It seems to have been about the year 3000 
B. c. * that they crossed the Indus and established them- 
selves between that river and the Jumna, since known among 
themselves as Ar'ya Var'ta. Some time afterwards we find 
them occupying all the country north of the Vindya range. 

108. At this time the peninsula of India was occupied 
Amaigama- by native dark races. These were speedily 
*^°"* subdued by the fair-skinned Aryans, who 
eventually overspread the entire country. In process of 

* According to Sanscrit scholars, 3101 B. c. 



I 



THE HINDOOS. 5 



time these lost much of their purity of blood by intermix- 
ing with the native tribes, many of whose customs and 
ideas they adopted, and in the end they almost wholly lost 
their identity. This fact explains much that is peculiar 
in the civilization of the Hindoos. The Aryans in general 
are a progressive and practical race ; but the Hindoos, after 
making considerable advances in literature and philoso- 
phy, became stationary, and had very little influence on 
the great current of the world's history. We shall see that 
their kinsmen the Persians, being left unmixed, developed 
far more of those characteristics that marked the Euro- 
pean members of the Ar}^an stock, — the Greeks, Latins, 
Teutons, etc. 

109. The first historical notice that we have of India in 
relation with Europe is at that great epoch Alexander's 
in its history, its invasion by Alexander the ^^^^*- 
Great (326 b. c), in the course of his world-conquering expe- 
dition. The Macedonian leader merely looked into India, 
fought a few engagements with the native princes, and then 
returned ; but the historians who accompanied the expe- 
dition left a description of Indian society, — and it corre- 
sponds almost exactly with what may be seen at the present 
day. 

110. At the time of Alexander Indian society was firmly 
fixed in castes, similar to the state of thinsrs 

- , . _ , , * Castes. 

we found in Egypt ; and the same system 
both prevails to the present day and has prevailed from 
time immemorial. The Hindoos made four divisions of 
society: i. The Brahmi4ps, whose proper business was re- 
ligion and philosophy ; 2. The Kshatriyas, who attended to 
war and government; 3. The Vaisyas, who were the mer- 
chants and farmers ; 4. The Sudras, or artisans and laborers. 
Below even the lowest of these classes were the Fa'riahs, or 
outcasts, who performed the meanest of all labors. As a 
general thing, every person was required to follow the pro- 



52 ANCIENT ORIENTAL MONARCHIES. 

fession of the caste to which he belonged, and the regula- 
tions about intermarriage were very rigidly prescribed. 

111. The division into castes probably arose from the 

desire of the conquering Aryans to keep up a 

Origin of caste. ... . , , , ^ ^ - r 

distmction between themselves and the mfe- 
rior tribes about them ; and the Hindoo word for caste, 
vania^ is said to mean color. 

112. The language of the ancient Hindoos was the San- 
Sanscrit scKit ; it is uot uow spokcu, and is understood 
speech. ^^^ j^y ^^ Brahmins and by scholars who 
have studied it. It was the opening up of this tongue to 
the knowledge of European scholars, at the close of the 
last century, that led to the grouping of all the languages 
of Europe along with the Sanscrit as the Indo-Eiu-opean 
(Aryan) family of tongues. It was found that Sanscrit, 
both in its words and grammar, bore a remarkable likeness 
to the Greek, Latin, German, Celtic, and Slavonic languages ; 
and though Sanscrit is not now regarded as ih^ parent of these 
dialects, it is looked upon as the language the nearest to 
the original speech of the undivided Aryans. 

113. In this highly developed language the learned men 
Hindoo liter- of ancient Hindostan recorded a vast body of 
^*"*'^- literature, much of which has been preserved 
to the present day. Among the oldest of these writings are 
the Vedas, which are believed to be as old as 2000 b. c. 
They form part of the sacred books of the Brahminic re- 
ligion. 

114. The Vedas distinctly set forth the doctrine that 

there is " one unknowg true Being, all-present, 
e igion. all-powerful, the creator, preserver, and de- 

stroyer of the universe." This Supreme Being " is not con- 
ceivable by vision or by any other of the organs of sense." 
But the prevailing theology which runs through them is 
what is called pantheism., or that system which speaks of 
God as the soul of the universe, or as the universe itself. 



THE HINDOOS. 53 



" In him the whole world is absorbed ; from him it issues ; 
he is entwined and interwoven with all creation." " All 
that exists is God ; whatever we smell, or taste, or see, or 
hear, or feel, is the Supreme Being." The Invisible Su- 
preme Being, according to the Hindoos, manifests himself 
in three forms, — as Brahma the creator, Vishnu the pre- 
server, and Siva the destroyer. 

115. The central point of the Hindoo theology was the 
doctrine of transmigration of souls. Accord- Doctrine of 

... • 1 J T • • • 1 transmigra- 

mg to this doctrine the human soul is joined tion. 
to earthly bodies only for the purpose of punishment, and 
its aim and effort are to reunite itself with the Divine 
Spirit of the universe. The Hindoo, therefore, regards ex- 
istence in this world as a time of trial and punishment, to 
be abridged by prayer and sacrifice, by penance and purifi- 
cation. If a man neglects these, his soul after death will be 
joined to the body of an inferior animal, and will have to 
commence its wanderings afresh. 

116. In addition to the Vedas, the Hindoos possess a 
very extensive literature, both prose and po- 
etical. A considerable number of these works ^"^ ^" '"^^" 
have been translated by modern scholars. They are ex- 
ceedingly curious, and of the highest worth as illustrative 
of the mental state of this peculiar ancient representative 
of our own Aryan stock ; but the absence of artistic form 
prevents their being appreciated by general readers, and 
hence lessens their literary value, 

117. There are in India copious remains of ancient art. 



Among the most remarkable of the monuments 

, , , , , Architecture. 

are the rock-hewn temples and grottos, espe- 
cially those found at Ello'ra, in the middle of Lower India, 
and at the Island of Elephan'ta, in the Bay of Bombay. 
These are elaborately sculptured and inscribed, and must 
have required the labor of thousands of hands for ages. 
118. ]n the 6th century b. c. there arose in India a new 

6 



54 AXCIENT ORIENTAL MONARCHIES. 

system of religion called Buddhism. Its founder was an 
Indian prince named Gautauma. It e^rew 

Buddhism. . ^ . , .... . ^ 

out of a social and religious reaction from 
the abuses of the old Brahminism ; and it was no doubt in 
many respects an important reform. It spread rapidly, 
and is still the religion of one third of the human race. 
119. Though during the whole period of antiquity India 
remained shut out from what was then the civ- 
ilized world, it nevertheless had an important 
influence on ancient commerce. The abundance of the pro- 
ductions of nature and art — pearls, precious stones, ivory, 
spice, frankincense, and silks — made that region from an 
early period the center of a great maritime and caravan trade. 
The Phoenicians, as we have seen, were engaged in the car- 
rying-trade of India both by land and sea. The same busi- 
ness was inherited by the Italian republics during the 
Middle Ages ; and the " pearl and gold " of India found 
their way through Arabia and the Red Sea to the Mediter- 
ranean, till Vasco da Gama, in the time of Columbus, round- 
ed the Cape of Good Hope. 



Rock I'emhi.r ok 1m) 



from 




THE PERSIAN EMPIRE. 55 



CHAPTER VII. 

THE PERSIAN EMPIRE. 

I. HISTORICAL OUTLINE. 

120. It will be convenient to connect the history of the 
Medes with that of the Persians for two rea- Connection of 
sons: I. The people of both countries be- Pel-sia/" 
longed to the same race ; 2. Although Media and Persia 
were for a time separate governments, yet very soon Media 
was absorbed in Persia. 

121. On the plateau east of the chain of Zaq^ros — the 
plain of ancient Iran — dwelt a hardy race, the on^in of the 
Medes, and a kindred stock, the Persians. ''^^^-" 
They were both pure Aryans. They were immigrant^ from 
the northeasterly native seat of the Aryan stock. By vari- 
ous successive movements, which were not completed till 
the 8th century b. c, they established themselves in the 
highlands of Med; j and Persia. 

122. The Medes first come to notice in connection with 
the Assyrians. About b. c. 710 Sargon, an 

A • , 1 ^T T Early Medes. 

Assyrian monarch, conquered some Median 

*^rritory, and planted it with colonies, in which he placed 

MAP STUDY. 

See map of the Persian Empire, opposite this page. 

I. What sea formed the western boundary of the Persian Empire ? 
2 What countries to the east ? 3. What sea south ? 4. What two 
gulfs south.? 5. What three seas to the north? 6 What country in 
Africa was inclosed in the Persian Empire ? 7 What satrapies in the 
Tigro-Euphrates basin? 8. What is the situation of Persia Proper 
(Persis) ? 9 Into what river do the Oxus and Jaxartes empty? lo. 
What mountain chain to the east of the Tigro-Euphratcs basin? II. 
Where were Persepolis ; Susa ; the two Ecbatanas ; Maracanda? 



56 AXCIENT ORIENTAL MONARCHIES. 

the Israelites from the cities of Samaria who had been lea 
into captivity by the Assyrians. 

123. But the Assyrians could not hold in subjection the 

Medes, who grew in power and established a 
great Median monarchy under Cyaxares, 633 
B. c. He was a conquering king: invading Assyria, he 
destroyed Nineveh in 625 b. c, and pushed the Median 
arms westward into Asia Minor. This king, the founder 
of the Median monarchy, was succeeded by his son Asty'- 
ages, under whom the brief dominion of Media gave place 
to the rule of Persia under Cyrus the Great. 

124. During this early period of the Median monarchy, 

the Persians also had established a kinci^dom 

Early Persians. ,. ^ . . ^ • \ ^ ^ • 

(ni Persis, or ancient Persia proper) ; but it 
was in a measure subject to Media. While Astyages was 
king of the Medes Cambyses was king of the Persians, but 
Cambyses acknowledged Astyages as his suzerain, and paid 
him tribute. The daughter of the Median monarch Asty- 
ages was married to the Persian prince Cambyses, and to 
them a son was born named Cyrus. Cyrus lived as a sort 
of hostage at the court of his grandfather Astyages, and 
could not leave it without permission. 

125. Thus much in the life of Cyrus is true history ; but 
Legend of whcu wc go iiiuch further, we are immediately 
Cyrus. plunged into fable. Both Herodotus and Xen'- 
ophon* exalted Cyrus to the rank of a hero of romance. 
The following is the current story of his early life. Asty- 
ages having dreamed that his daughter's son should con- 
quer all Asia, intrusted to a courtier, Har'pagus, the task 
of killing the little Cyrus. Harpagus gave the child to a 
herdsman, who promised to expose it on the mountains. 

* Xenophon, a Greek historian, was born about 444 B. C, and was 
a disciple and friend of Socrates. He wrote a work on Cyrus called 
Cyropadia (literally, Education of Cyrus) ; but it is rather a political 
romance than an authentic history. 



THE PERSIAN EMPIRE. 57 

But the herdsman was led to substitute his own dead baby 
for the living prince, who grew up in a humble station. 
The secret was disclosed, when Cyrus began to lord it over 
his playfellows and beat them. A noble's son complained 
to the king, and the royal boy was recognized. Astyages 
took a barbarous revenge on Harpagus, by cooking the 
courtier's son and serving up the flesh for the father to 
partake of. Cyrus was sent to his father, and Harpagus 
bided his time for revenge. When the time was ripe, he 
sent a secret message to Cyrus, who invaded Media, was 
welcomed by crowds of deserting troops, and by their aid 
overturned the Median throne, 558 b. c. We need not at- 
tempt to discover what basis of truth, if any, there may be 
in this legend. One fact is certain, that under Cyrus the 
Persians became the ruling power. 

126. Commencing his reign in 558 b. c, Cyrus first sub- 
dued all the northern and western provinces conquests of 
of the old Median kingdom. On the western ^y^^- 
frontier the most formidable enemy he encountered was 
Croesus, King of Lydia, in Asia Minor. Croesus, taking the 
offensive, led his army from Sardis, his capital, across the 
river Ha'lys (which formed the boundary between the Per- 
sian and the Lydian territory), and an indecisive action was 
fought near Sino'pe. But Cyrus followed up, and by the 
overthrow of Croesus and capture of Sardis added all Asia 
Minor west of the Halys to the dominion of Persia, 554 B. c* 
Next, most of the Greek cities and colonies on the coast of 
Asia Minor and the adjoining islands were subdued. The 
remote East now claimed the attention of Cyrus, and be- 
tween the years 553 -540 b. c. he was employed in the sub- 
jugation of the various tribes in the region between Persia 
and the Indus, — Parthia, Bactriana, Sogdiana, etc.t The 

* This is the date of the fall of Croesus, according to Rawlinson ; most 
other chronologers place it at 546 B. C. 

t See Map of Persian Empire, opposite p. 55. 



58 ANCIENT ORIENTAL MONARCHIES. 

greater glory of reducing the mighty power of Babylonia 
now remained : this was accomplished by the capture of 
Babylon (538 b. c), as already described. (See page 36.) 

127. During his career of twenty-nine years, Cyrus ex- 
Extent of his tended the Persian dominion from the Indus to 
empire. ^j^g Hellespont, from the Jaxartes to the Syrian 
shore ; and indeed he left to his successors only the com- 
pletion and consolidation of his work, for by his own efforts 
lie had made Persia the great imperial power of Asia. 

128. Of the whole line of Persian monarchs Cyrus was 
the greatest, and his character is far more worthy of re- 
soect than that of any of his successors. He was a great 
C'laracter of conqucror without being a cruel ruler, and to 
Cyrus. remarkable ability as a soldier he added manv 
noble traits as a man. 

129. Cyrus was succeeded by his son Cambyses. To 

another son, named Smerdis, Cyrus had given 

Cavnbyses. , . . . ' . ' ■' ? 

the domniion over some nnportant provmces. 
This arrangement cost Smerdis his life, by rousing the jeal- 
onsy of his brother, who very early in his reign caused him 
to be put to death secretly. The chief event of Cambyses's 
roign was his conquest of Egypt in 525 b. c. In Egypt 
Cambyses behaved with great wantonness and cruelty. He 
forced the Egyptian king Psammen'itus to drink poison ; he 
shocked the Egyptians by stabbing a calf which they regard- 
ed as sacred ; and on one occasion, when a courtier told him 
at his own request that popular rumor blamed him for drink- 
ing to excess, he proved the steadiness of his hand and eye 
by piercing the heart of that courtier's son with an arrow. 

130. The absence of Cambyses brought about a revolution 

at the Persian capital. A Magian, named Go- 

Revolution. , , 111 , r>, 

mates, personated the murdered brother Smer- 
dis, and headed a conspiracy that raised him to the throne. 
When Cambyses heard the news, he hastened towards Per- 
sia, but while on the way he died, — some say by suicide, 



THE PERSIAN EMPIRE. . 59 

Others from an accidental wound from his own dagger, — 
522 B. c, after having reigned less than eight years. The 
reign of the false Smerdis was brief. Dari'us, the son of 
Hystas'pes, governor of one of the Persian provinces, and 
himself belonging to the royal family, headed an insurrec- 
tion, and the impostor was slain after he had reigned eight 
months. 

131. Darius I. (Darius Hystaspes), who ascended the 
throne 521 b. c, was, next to Cyrus, the great- Reign of Da- 
est of the Persian monarchs. He completed ""^• 

the work that Cyrus began. Cyrus by his conquests founded 
the empire ; Darius organized it. To him belongs the credit 
of having given to the Persian Empire that peculiar politi- 
cal system and arrangement that maintained it in a fairly 
flourishing condition for nearly two centuries. 

132. Darius divided the whole empire into twenty " satra- 
pies," or provinces ; the native tributary kings Persian gov- 
being swept away, and each province governed ^""""^e"*- 

by a Persian official called a satrap. A fixed rate of tribute 
took the place of arbitrary exactions. " Royal roads " were 
established, and a system of posts arranged, whereby the 
court received rapid intelligence of all that occurred in the 
provinces. The great centers of Persian power were fixed 
at Susa, the spring residence of the king; Ecbat'ana, his 
summer abode ; and Babylon, the winter-quarters. 

133. The most interesting event in the reign of Darius is 
the commencement of the Persian invasions Relations with 
of Greece. Some of the Greek cities of Ionia <^''^^^^- 

in Asia Minor, which had been brought under Persian do- 
minion by Cyrus, revolted ; the Athenians encouraged them 
in this revolt, and this brought Persia and Greece into col- 
lision on the plains of Marathon, 490 b. c. [As nearly all 
that is striking in the after history of Persia interweaves 
itself with the affairs of Greece, the narrative will best be 
given in connection with Grecian history.] 



60 .ANCIENT ORIENTAL MONARCHIES. 



2. PERSIAN CIVILIZATION. 

134. The Persians belonged to the same stock as the 
Persian char- Mecles, but they seem to have been even more 
^'^^^^^ purely Aryan, — and the term * Aryan ' is itself 
a Persian word signifying noble. When we first meet them 
in history, they are a race of hardy mountaineers, brave in 
war, rude in manners, simple in their habits, abstaining from 
wine, and despising all the luxuries of food and dress. 
Though not highly intellectual, the Persians were keen- 
witted, vivacious, and fond of poetry and art. Indeed, they 
seem in many respects prototypes of the Greeks, whose 
kinsmen, through a common Aryan descent, they were. 
They afterwards lost their noblest traits of character and 
became a servile Asiatic race ; but it was during their hardy, 
virtuous prime that all their conquests were made. 

135. As builders and artists, the Persians were first 

pupils of the Assyrians and Babylonians. The 

Architecture. . "^ 1 i r t^t- 1 

magnmcent temples and palaces of Nineveh 
and Babylon had been in existence many centuries before 
the race of Iran began to do anything in art, and it was not 
till they came in contact with the Assyrians and Babylo- 
nians that they commenced to erect noble structures. Then, 
however, they did more than merely imitate : they adapted, 
so as to make a new architectural style of their own. This 
style may be said to stand midway between the solemn and 
heavy grandeur of Eg)^ptian and Assyrian architecture and 
the perfect beauty of the Grecian. The great masterpieces 
of Persian building consist of palaces and tombs, — their 
outdoor and simple worship requiring no imposing temples. 
The most famous remains of Persian architecture are the 
ruins of the royal palaces at Persep'olis. The distinguish- 
ing features of these are the solid and handsome stone plat- 
forms, the noble staircases richly sculptured in bas-reliefs, 
and the profusion of light and elegant stone columns. 



THE PERSIAN EMPIRE. 6 1 

136. The Persians did very little in the mechanical arts. 
It was their boast that they were soldiers and 

Arts 

had won by their swords a position that gave 
them command of the products and wares of other nations. 
So long as the carpets and muslins of Babylon and Sardis, 
the shawls of Cashmere and India, the fine linen of Eg}^'pt, 
and the varied manufactures of the Phoenician towns poured 
continually into Persia, it was needless for the native popu- 
lation to engage in manufacturing industry. 

137. The Persians had a much purer and nobler religion 
than the Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, or 
Phoenicians. They were not idolaters. In- ^ '^*°"' 
deed, in the primitive period the main feature of their re- 
ligion was the acknowledgment and the worship of a single 
supreme God, — "the Lord God of heaven." But this at 
an early date gave way to the doctrine of the perpetual 
conflict of two great First Principles, that of Light and 
that of Darkness, personified under the names of Aura- 
mazda, or Or'mazd, and Ahriman'. 

138. The Persian religion was further corrupted by the 
intermixture of a system of worship of the 

, 1 • 1 1 Ti /r 1 1 1 Fire worship. 

elements, — a system which the Medes had 
learned from the Scythians, and which ultimately overlaid 
the purer doctrines of the Persians. The leading feature 
was fire-worship, or Magianism (from Magi, the name of 
the priests of this rite). On lofty mountain-spots fire- 
altars were erected, on which burned a perpetual flame, 
watched constantly lest it should expire, and believed to 
have been kindled from heaven. Here day after day the 
Magi chanted their incantations, displayed their divining- 
rods, and practiced those arts called, after them, viagic. 

139. The government of Persia as ruler over many coun- 
tries was a g^reat advance on the theory of 

. , , ^ . 1 . Government. 

government of the other Oriental empires. 

It was more than a mere loosely joined congeries of king- 



62 ANCIENT ORIENTAL MONARCHIES. 

doms, — it was a real imperial dominion. The government 
was upon the whole singularly mild, and by far the noblest 
and the best of all the universal empires of antiquity. 

140. There is no doubt that the Persians had a consid- 
erable literature, but very few fragments of 

Literature. . , . ' ^, , , , . ^ 

it have survived. Ihe oldest literary monu- 
ment of the Iranic race is the collection called the Zend- 
Avesta, which contains the sacred books of the Persians, 
and which was compiled by Zoroas'ter, the great religious 
legislator of the Persians. We can form some idea of an- 
cient Persian poetry from a poem called the Shah Nameh, 
an epic composed by Firdousi, the greatest poet of Persia, 
about the middle of the loth century a. d. Though writ- 
ten at a time long subsequent to the Persian greatness, it 
is yet valuable as based on ancient traditions and frag- 
ments of song and story. Judging the poetical faculty of 
the Persians by this epic, we should say that they were 
distinguished rather for lively fancy and arabesque con- 
ceits than for true creative imagination such as distinguished 
the Greeks, or for the grand inspiration that breathes 
through the productions of the Hebrew bards and prophets. 




The Tomb of Cyrus. 



THE PERSIAN EMPIRE. ^l 



CHRONOLOGIC SUMMARY. 

B. C. 

The Medes under Cyaxares overthrow Assyria and become the 

leading power in Asia ......... 625 

Acces-^ion of Cyrus and supremacy of Persia .... 558 

Subjugation of Lydia ......... 554 

Capture of Babylon 538 

Accession of Cambyses 529 

Conquest of Egypt by Cambyses 525 

Accession of Darius Hystaspes 521 

Persian invasion of Greece 49c 



Note on Asia Minor, — Lydia. — The peninsula of Asia Minor 
was occupied from very early times by various nations ; but as these 
were of secondary importance, nothing need here be said of their history 
save in the case of Phrygia and Lydia. 

It is believed that the earliest dominant people of Asia Minor were 
the Phrygians, who at one time occupied the whole of the peninsula. 
The people were engaged in agriculture and commerce. Their capital 
was Gordium, and the kings were alternately Gor'dias and Mi'das ; 
but great obscurity rests on their history. Phrygia became a province 
of Lydia in 560 b. c. 

Lydia in the 7th century rose to be the ruling power in Asia Minor. 
The last and greatest king of this nation was Croesus, who is famous in 
history for his enormous wealth. When Cyrus on his career of con- 
quest carried the Persian arms into Western Asia, Croesus made an 
alliance with Sparta, Egypt, and Babylon to resist him ; but, as we have 
seen, Cyrus was victorious, Croesus was made prisoner, and Lydia was 
absorbed in Persia, 554 B. C. 



64 ANCIENT ORIENTAL MONARCHIES. 



CHAPTER VIII. 
COMMERCE OF THE ANCIENTS. 

141 The three most commercial nations of antiquity 
anterior to the Greeks were the Babylonians, 
^"erSfna"' Phoenicians, and Carthaginians. A brief sketch 
'^°"'* of the great routes of the trade of these na- 

tions together with the leading articles of exchange, will 
be found of value in connection with the interestnig map 
presented on the opposite page. 

142 Babylonia, with its admirable situation, was one ot 
Babylonian the leading emporiums of ancient commerce 
trade. This trade consisted pardy in the exchange ot 
Babylonian manufactures, and partly in the purchase of 
products of the f^irther East. 

143 Weaving of cotton, woolen stuffs, and carpets was 

Babylonian the principal manufacture established in Bab- 

manufactures. Iqj^^ Articles of luxury, such as pertumea 
waters, carved walking-canes, engraved stones and seals, 
were made in the city, and the art of cutting precious stones 
was carried to the utmost perfection. These articles were 
souo-ht by all the civilized nations of antiquity. 

U4 The Babylonians had an extensive commerce east- 
^ r , , ward with Persia and Northern India, whence 
7/omVabyYon. t|, obtained gold, prccious stones, and rich 
dye-stuffs. From Can'dahar and Cashmere they procured 
L wool, and from the desert of Bactria (the -dern C^^^^^^ 
emeralds, jaspers, and other precious stones. The trade by 
sea was between the mouths of the Tigris and Euphrates, 
and the western coasts of India and the Island of Ce>^on 
From these regions they imported timber of various kinds 
sugar-cane, spices, cinnamon, and pearls. At a very early 



COMMERCE OF THE ANCIENTS. 



6^ 




66 AXCIENT ORIENTAL MONARCHIES. 

period the Babylonians formed commercial establishments 
on the Bahrein \bd-rdn'\ Islands in the Persian Gulf, whence 
they obtained large quantities of the finest pearls. 

145. The Phoenicians were the leading commercial peo- 
The PhcEni- ple of Asia. Though the textile fabrics of the 
*^^^"^- Sidonians and the purple cloths of the Tyrians 
were celebrated from the earliest antiquity, it seems prob- 
able that the commerce of the Phoenicians consisted more 
in the interchange of foreign commodities than in the ex- 
portation of their own goods. 

146. The land trade of the Phoenicians may be divided 

into three s^reat branches : the Arabian, which 

Their trade. . , , . ,° ^ . . , ,,,',. 

mcluded the Egyptian and that with the Indian 
seas ; the Babylonian, to which is referred the commerce with 
Central Asia and North India ; and the Armenian, including 
the overland trade with Scythia and the Caucasian countries. 

147. From Ye'men (Arabia Felix) caravans brought 
Arabia and the through the desert frankincense, myrrh, cassia, 
Levant. gold, and precious stones, — the gold being 
probably obtained from the opposite shores of Africa. 
The greater part of the Phoenician trade with Egypt was 
overland. The first branch of the eastern Phoenician trade 
was with Judaea and Syria proper. The dependence of the 
Phoenicians on Palestine for grain fully explains the cause 
of their close alliance with the Jewish kingdom. 

148. But the most important branch of Phoenician trade 
Eastern trade witli the Orient was that through Babylon to 
of PhcEnicia. ^j-^g interior of Asia. A considerable part of 
the route to Babylon lay through the Syrian desert, and to 
facilitate the passage of the caravans two of the most re- 
markable cities of the ancient world, Baal'bec and Palmy'ra, 
were founded. 

149. The Scythian trade may be very fairly considered 

the same, in all important particulars, as that 

Scythian trade. ,,, . . ^ oi t^- 1 

which now exists between Southern Russia and 



COMMERCE OF THE ANCIENTS 6/ 

Bokha'ra. It was connected with Europe by the Greek 
colonies on the Euxine (Black) Sea. But the most impor- 
tant branch of trade carried on through the Scythian terri- 
tories was the Indian, with which probably we may connect 
the Indo-Chinese. Bactra and Marcanda {Balk/i and Samar- 
cand') have always been the depots of an active commerce. 
It is certain that a portion of this trade passed over the 
Caspian Sea ; but it is equally certain that the greater por- 
tion of it was conducted by caravans, which went round the 
north of the Caspian, and perhaps of the Sea of Aral. 

150. The northern land trade of the Phoenicians is de- 
scribed by the Prophet Ezekiel : " Tavan (i. e. 

11 ^1 , • N ^ 1 , , Northern trade. 

Ionia and the Greek colonies). Tubal, and 
Meshech (i. e. the countries round the Black and the Cas- 
pian Seas), they were thy merchants : they traded the per- 
sons of men and vessels of brass in thy markets. They 
of the house of Togar'mah (i. e. Armenia and Cappadocia) 
traded in thy fairs with horses and horsemen and mules."* 

151. The Mediterranean Sea was, however, the great high- 
road of Phoenician commerce. Spain was, in „, . . 

^ ' Phoenicians in 

respect to precious metals, the richest country the Mediter- 

r 1 • ,1 1 , 1 • 1 • ranean. 

of the ancient world ; and here this pushing 
people early formed stations. " Tar'shish (i. e. Tartes'sus, or 
Southwestern Spain) was thy merchant by reason of the 
multitude of all kinds of riches ; with silver, iron, tin, and 
lead they traded in thy fairs." t From Spain the Phoenicians 
entered the Atlantic Ocean, and proceeded to the south of 
the British Isles, where they procured the tin of Cornwall, 
and probably to the coast of Prussia, for the greatly es- 
teemed amber. In the eastern seas they had establish- 
ments on the Arabian and the Persian Gulfs, whence they 
traded with the coasts of India and Africa and the Island 
of Ceylon. During the reign of Pharaoh Necho, King of 

* Ezekiel xxvii. 13, 14. 
t Ibid.. 12. 



6S ANCIENT ORIENTAL MONARCHIES 



Egypt, they discovered the passage round the Cape of 
Good Hope ; but this led to no important result, on ac- 
count of the calamities that Tyre endured from the con- 
quest by the Babylonians in the 6th century. 

152. The commerce of Carthage was carried on both 

Cartha e ^^ ^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^' '^^^ ^^^" manufactures 

included fine cloths, hardware, pottery, and 
leather harness. The principal land trade of the Cartha- 
ginians was by caravans with the barbarous tribes of Central 
Africa, the chief imports being negro-slaves and gold-dust. 

153. In the western Mediterranean their chief trade was 
Western Med- '^^'ith the Greek colonies in Sicily and the south 
iterranean. ^j j^^j^ (^xom which they obtained wine and 
oil in exchange for negro-slaves, precious stones, and gold, 
and for cotton cloths manufactured at Carthage), and also 
with Spain, the El Dorado of antiquity. In fact, the Car- 
thaginians possessed almost exclusively the carrying trade 
between the nations of Africa and those of Western Europe. 
Beyond the Strait of Gibraltar the Carthaginians succeeded 
the Phoenicians in the tin and amber trade with the British 
Isles and the shores of the Baltic. 

154. On the west coast of Africa the Carthaginian colo- 

nies studded the shores of Morocco and Fez : 

African trade. , , , , -r i i r ^ / jt 

but their great mart was the Island of Cer ne * 
(now Suana), the principal depot of merchandise, whence 
goods were transported in light barks to the opposite coast. 
Here the Carthaginian exports were trinkets, saddlery, cot- 
ton goods, pottery, and arms, for which they received hides 
and ivory. There is also every reason to believe that these 
enterprising merchants had some intercourse with the coast 
of Guinea, and that their navigators advanced beyond the 
mouths of the Sen'egal and Gambia. 

* Hanno in the year 570 B. c. conducted sixty ships, bearing 30,000 
co]onists, to the western shores of Africa, where he planted a chain of 
six colonies between the Strait of Gibraltar and the Island of Cerne. 



ANALYTIC SYNOPSIS. 



09 



ANALYTIC SYNOPSIS FOR REVIEW. 

I. Nations treated of. 

We have considered the history of the following ancient Oriental 
nations : — 
/ f The Egyptians. 

The Assyrians and Babylonians. 
Oriental Nations ^^^ ^^l,^^^, 
OF Antiquity... ^^^^pj^^^^.^.^^^^^ 

The Hindoos. 
The Persians. 



II. Classification of Races. 

These nations may be classed in three races, — the Aryan, or 
Indo-European, the Semitic, and the Hamitic, as follows : 



Aryan Race. 



( Hindoos. 



Persians. 



(Assyrians. 
Phoenicians. 
Hebrews. 



Hamitic Race. 



I Egyptians. 

jchaldaeans (early Babylonians). 



III. Place in History. 

Summing up what we have learned respecting the part played by 
the several ancient Oriental nations, we may mark the follow- 
ing characteristics : — 

Leading representative of the Hamitic stock,— 
developed apart. — were not a conquering or aggres- 
sive race, — had a marvelous building instinct, — at- 
tained a considerable advancement in many of the 
mechanical arts, and had some knowledge of certain 
sciences, especially astronomy and geometry, — marked 
^by the stationary character of their civilization, 
r Seem to have been a Hamitic stock allied to the 
J Egyptians, — had building instincts similar to the 
j Egyptians, — cultivated astronomy with much success, 
[ — their civilization of a materialistic character. 



Egyptians . 



Chaldeans 



70 



ANCIENT ORIENTAL MONARCHIES. 



Assyrians. 



Were probably almost pure Semites, — were a con- 
quering race, and became, previous to Persia, the great 
imperial power of Asia, ruling not only all the Meso- 
potamian countries, but also Media, Syria proper, Phoe- 
nicia, Palestine, part of Arabia, and nearly all Egypt, 
— in the fine arts excelled particularly in sculpture. 

As a political power ruled for only the brief period 
of eighty-seven years, from the destruction of the 
Assyrian power to the conquest by the Persians 
- under Cyrus (625-538 B c), but were for many cen- 
turies, while under Assyrian rule, an important peo- 
ple, — made marked advances in commerce, manufac- 
tures, and the practical arts. 

A nation of pure Aryan stock, but remarkable as a 
thoroughly unworldly race, devoting themselves large- 
ly to contemplation and mystic speculations, — have left 
a rich and remarkable literature written in Sanscrit, 
the oldest of the Indo-European tongues, — had but 
little influence on the political history of the world, 
and indeed can hardly be said to have a place in his- 
toric annals till the conquest of India by Alexander, 
326 B, C, 



Babylonians. 

\_Later kingdom ] 



Hindoos 



Hebrews. 



Phcenicians . 



Persians, 



A "peculiar people," playing a peculiar part in his- 
tory, — had very little influence on the political his- 
tory of antiquity, but have affected all the world 
through religion (monotheism), — have left as their 
great legacy the Hebrew Scriptures, — not an artistic 
[ people, — were a pure Semitic race. 

Like the Hebrews, were Semites, — pre-eminently 
the traders and colonizers of antiquity, — the only 
Asiatic people that planted colonies on the Mediter- 
ranean shores of Europe and Africa, — left a price- 
less legacy in the Phoenician alphabet. 

Were pure Aryans, — made the nearest approach to 
European civilization of any Oriental nation, — had 
the best idea of political organization possessed by 
any Asiatic race, — were a conquering people, and be- 
came the great imperial power in Asia from the time 
of Cyrus to the conquest by Alexander (558-331 B.C.), 
— attained eminence in art, especially architecture 
and sculpture. 



li 



ANALYTIC SYNOPSIS. 



IV. Chronologic Summary. 

The following are the most important dates under each nation : — 

B, c. 
I" Beginning of authentic history in Dynasty of 

J7QYP-P I Pyramid-builders (Fourth), 25th century . 2450 

I Conquered by Persians, 6th century . . 525 

I Conquered by Romans, ist century ... 30 

Chald^a I First authentic date, 23d century . . . 2234 

[^ar/yi?^^,'/^;^^.] I Absorption in Assyria . . . (about) 1250 

Assyria . . i becomes a great power absorbing Babylon (about) 1250 

(^ Fall of Nineveh and overthrow of Assyria . 625 

{Era of Nabonassar 747 

Revival of independence under Nabopolassar . 62(5 
Capture of Babylon by Cyrus, and overthrow of 

Babylonian kingdom 53S 

Immigration of Brahminic Aryans into the In- 
dus Valley (about) 3000 

-.26 



India 



Palestine. 



Phcenicia. 



Persia. 



Alexander'^ expedition into India 

r Migration of Abraham . . . (about) 1920 

Exodus from Egypt 1320 

Accession of Solomon 1015 

Division of Solomon's Empire into the King- 
dom of Israel and Kingdom of Judah . . 975 
Destruction of the Kingdom of Israel by the 

Assyrians, and captivity of the Israelites . 721 

Capture of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar . 586 

Return from the captivity 536 

. Absorption by Rome 63 

Tyre becomes leading city-state of Phoenicia . 1050 
Phoenicia conquered by the Assyrians . (about) 870 

850 
322 
63 
558 
529 



( iyre d 

Phoeni 

\ Found 



indation of the colony of Carthage . 
I Tyre captured by Alexander the Great . 
I Phoenicia conquered by the Romans 

Foundation of the Persian monarchy by Cyrus 
Cambyses becomes king ..... 
Darius I. (Hystaspes), who organized the Per- 
sian Empire, becomes king .... 

Xerxes becomes king 

Overthrow of Persian Empire by Alexander 



521 
486 



72 



ANCIENT ORIENTAL MONARCHIES. 



V. General Summary. 

The following may serve as a general summing up of the philoso- 
phy of Oriental history : — 
The great feature of all the Oriental nations was their unprogressive 
character. In Asia there came into being a number of vast empires, 
but as these were despotisms, as the social state of the people was 
fi.xecl in castes, and as the people themselves were reduced to a low level 
by polygamy, the power of man could not find free play : hence, though 
the ancient Eastern nations reached a considerable advancement in 
civilization, their civilization was of a stationary character. Asia was 
the land of births and beginnings, and played indeed a wondrous part 
in the history of our race ; but when in the order of Divine Providence 
her appointed task was completed, it was given to other lands and other 
peoples to carry forward the great work of humanity; and w^e shall find 
that with the Aryan race on the free soil of Europe first comes true 
progress. 




"T7 



Jfloit X'mi/ihid e 20 fn r 



^-^JTJEJV I^^ 







AND CITIES 



J7 igns/ Lunyitudi 



'UUa Pi- 



Twnat'i'"'^ 




^./i^^^^V 



i'K:':^ 






>^ 



IJ 




HHILILAg 

OR 

iiiiiiANDHERi@WSMl 
TiniG of the Pcloponnesian tVar 



/edlianS colored YcHoio 
lONiANS • • jjeei 

DORIANS > • Blue 



liSiruttere.N.Y. 



GENERAL SKETCH. 73 



SECTION II. 
HISTORY OF GREECE. 

CHAPTER I. 
GENERAL SKETCH. 




The Parthenon restored. 

.1. We are now to begin the history of the two great 
European nations of antiquity, Greece and contrast of 
Rome, — the history " of the glory that was g^ro^peitf hts- 
Greece, and the grandeur that was Rome." *°'"y- 
The story of these nations fills the whole period between 
about the year 1000 b. c. and the downfall of the Western 
Roman Empire, 476 a. d. Between the history of these na- 
tions and that of the ancient Oriental empires we shall find 
a marked contrast. The Orient presents to view a series 
of vast overshaauwing despotisms under which the spirit 



74 HISTORY OF GREECE. 

of individual freedom was completely crushed. That spirit 
first finds play in Europe, where we shall see the rights of 
nan asserting themselves and taking embodiment in free, 
self-governing states. The history of the Orient is the his- 
tory of dynadies ; the history of Greece and Rome is the 
history of the people ; and accordingly the latter is far more 
iiiteresting, more instructive, and more valuable. 

2. The Greeks were a branch of the mighty Aryan, or 
Greek race Indo-Europcan, stock, — the stock that includes 
all the historic races of Europe, together with 
the Persians and Hindoos of Asia. As Aryans, they were 
closely related to the Romans ; and, in fact, the forefa- 
thers of the Greeks and of the Italians formed originally 
one swarm, which at a very early period in prehistoric 
times (not later than 2000 b. c.) left the native hive of the 
Aryans, in Asia, and moved into Europe. The evidence of 
language shows that this stock must have kept together for 
a considerable period after they had parted company from 
the other members of the Aryan family, and before they 
settled, the one branch in the eastern and the other in the 
central of the three Mediterranean peninsulas, where they 

MAP STUDY. 

[See Map opposite p. 73.] 

I. What were the boundaries of Continental Greece ? 2 What sea 
between Greece and Italy ? 3 What isthmus connects the Pelopon- 
nesus with the mainland? 4 What gulfs on opposite sides of this? 
5. What is the situation of the Pindus range? 6. They divided what 
states ? 7. Tell the situation of the CEta Mountains, of Olympus, of 
Parnassus. 8. What was the situation of Macedon, of Attica, of Laco- 
nia ? 9. Where was the state of Boeotia? 10. Was Attica a seaboard 
or an inland state ? 1 1. Was Lacedaemon an inland or a seaboard state ? 
12. What rivers are named on the map ? 13. What large island off the 
east coast? 14 Where were the Cyclades and Sporades? 15. Where 
were the Chersonesus, Cyrenaica, Hellespont, Thrace, Asia Minor? 
16. Where were Athens, Sparta, Thebes, Argos, Delphi, Corinth, Pla- 
taea, Marathon, Miletus, Sardis, the Pass of Thermopylae ? 



GENERAL SKETCH. 75 

subsequently appeared in history, the first branch as Greeks^ 
the second as Romans. 

3. Greece was a name ahuost unknown by the people 
whom we call Greeks, and was never used by 

them to describe their country. It was first 
adopted by the Romans, from whom it has descended to us. 
The name by which the Greeks always called their country 
is Hel'las. This term, however, included more than is now 
covered by the term Greece ; for it comprised not only the 
adjacent islands, but also numerous patches of settlement 
around the Mediterranean Sea. Hellas, in fact, denoted 
wherever the Hclle'nes^ or Greeks, were settled. 

4. In the geography of Greece there are two important 
facts to be noticed : i. That Hellas is a land Physical fea- 
of islands and peninsulas, deeply perforated ^"'■^s- 

by bays and inlets of the Mediterranean. This fact is one 
of the main reasons why the Greeks were the earliest civil- 
ized people of Europe, since their situation on the sea-coast 
brought them into contact with those older civilizations 
whose seats were on the eastern shores of the Mediter- 
ranean, and especially with Egypt and Phoenicia. 2. That 
the surface of the country is ridged by numerous mountains, 
which divided Greece into a multitude of small, isolated 
regions. This fact favored the establishment of numerous 
separate and independent states or communities ; and it was 
in these little states that, for the first time in the history of 
the world, political freedom was attained by man. 

5. Greece proper is a peninsula about 250 miles long 
and 180 miles across in its widest part. It ^^^^^^ 

has an area about the same as that of the 
State of Maine. 

6. The natural division of Greece is into Northern, Cen- 
tral, and Southern. Northern Greece extends 

IT • Divisions. 

from the north boundary hne to the pomt 

where the eastern and western shores are respectively in- 



-J^ HISTORY OF GREECE. 

dented by the Gulfs of Ma'lis and Ambra'cia, or Ac'tium. 
Central Greece reaches from this point to the Isthmus of 
Corinth." Southern Greece is identical with the Pelopon- 
ne'sus, called in modern geography the More'a. 

7. Northern Greece contained in ancient times two prin- 
Northern di- cipal countrics, Thcs'saly and Epi'rus. I'o the 
vision. north of these was Macedo'nia, which, though 
ruled by kings of Hellenic blood, was never counted to be 
part of Greece till quite late times. 

8. Central Greece contained eleven states.* The most 

important of these was Attica, which is the 

Central states. ^,, ., ..' -r>>. 

foreland or penmsula projectmg from Bceotia 
to the southeast. Its length was 70 miles, its greatest width 
30 miles. The general character of this region was moun- 
tainous and infertile. In Attica was Athens, the foremost 
city of all Greece. 

9. Southern Greece, or the Peloponnesus, contained 

seven principal states.* The most important 

Peloponnesus. r i i t • • 

of the southern states was Laconia, sometimes 
called Lacedse'mon, of which the capital and most im- 
portant city was Sparta. 

10. The " isles of Greece " formed a very considerable 

and noted part of ancient Hellas. The lars^est 

The isles. ^ , . , , ^ ^ , •, 

of the coast islands was Euboe a, 100 miles 
long. Off the west coast was the important island of Cor- 
ey 'ra. Off the southern coast was Crete, 150 miles in length. 
The vEgae'an sea was studded with numerous islands, of 
which the two groups of the Cyc'lades and Spor'ades ex- 
tended in a continuous series, like a set of stepping-stones, 
across from Greece to Asia. 

11. It is probable that various tribes of the Aryan stock 

had penetrated into the Greek peninsula as 

Pelasgi. , ^ ^ - Vx n • 

early as 2000 b. c. In the ante-Hellenic pe- 
* Name these states from the map, opposite page 72. 



GENERAL SKETCH. 



77 



riod, that is, in the prehistoric age, we hear of the Pelas'gi, 
who seem to have been an Aryan race. They were civiHzed 
enough to till the earth and to build walled cities. To 
them are attributed the remains of certain ancient monu- 
ments known as Pelasgic, or Cyclopean, remains. These 
consist of tombs and of walls composed of enormous rude 
masses of stone joined to one another without cement. 

12. At a period long before the beginning of recorded 
history the Pelassri were overwhelmed by an ^^ „ 

/ . ® . 1 Ti Hellenes. 

nivasion of a more vigorous and warlike race, 
the Hellenes, who, descending from Thessaly, entirely over- 
spread the peninsula and give their name to the whole 
country. There were four chief divisions of the Hellenes, 
— the Do'rians, ^o'lians, Achse'ans, and lo'nians. 




HELLAS 

Greece, 

Before the: 

Dorian migration. 



asi.m 



y8 HISTORY OF GREECE. " 

The y^olians were spread over Northern Greece and the western coast 
of the Peloponnesus ; the Achaeans held the southern and eastern part of 
the Peloponnesus (the Arcadians, a remnant of the older Pelasgic race, 
occupying the center) ; the lonians were confined to a narrow strip of 
country along the northern coast of the Peloponnesus and eastward into 
Attica; the Dorians were to the north, and occupied the southern slope 
of Mount CEta Such appears to have been the distribution of the races 
in the age represented by the Homeric poems, 

13. The Greeks of this age have no history, in the proper 

sense of the word. The place of this they 
' supplied by a mass of beautiful legends, called 
by themselves myths. These recount the exploits of various 
heroes, and hence this period is called the Heroic Age. It 
is vain to attempt to separate the thread of historic truth 
which there may be in the body of Greek legends : to do so 
is only to " spoil a good poem without making a good his- 
tory." 

14. The last and greatest enterprise of the heroic age 

was the Sies^e of Troy. This was immortalized 

Siege of Troy. ^ •' 

by the genius of Homer in his Iliad (from 
/Hum, or Troy) ; and recent explorations on the site of Troy 
give reason to believe that the narrative of Homer rests on a 
basis of actual fact. The outline of the story is as follows : 
Paris, son of Priam, king of Troy, abused the hospitality of 
Menela'us, king of Sparta, by carrying off his wife Helen, 
the most beautiful woman of the age. At the call of Mene- 
laus all the Grecian princes assembled in arms, elected his 
brother Agamem'non leader of the expedition, and sailed 
across the ^gaean to recover the faithless fair one. Nearly 
all Asia Minor was leagued with Troy, and the most valiant 
Trojan leader was Hector, son of Priam. It was not till the 
tenth year that Troy yielded, and it is with the events of 
this year that the Iliad deals. 

15. Achiries, the bravest and most redoubtable of the 

Greeks, offended by Agamemnon, abstains 
from the war ; and in his absence the Greeks 



I 



GENERAL SKETCH. 79 



are no match for Hector. The Trojans drive them back 
into their camp, and are already setting fire to their ships 
when Achilles gives his armor to his friend Patro'clus, and 
allows him to charge at the head of the Myrmidons. Patro- 
clus repulses the Trojans from the ships, but the god Apollo 
is against him, and he falls under the spear of Hector. This 
causes Achilles to return into the Grecian camp, and he 
slays Hector in single combat ; but is himself killed by an 
arrow directed by Apollo. Finally, the noblest combatants 
on both sides having fallen, the city is taken by the Greeks, 
through the stratagem of a wooden horse, devised by the 
crafty Ulys'ses. Troy is delivered over to the sword, and its 
glory sinks in ashes.* 

16. The most faithful reflex of the springtime of the Hel- 
lenic world is preserved to us in the Homeric Homeric 
poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey, Among the ^''^ece. 
noticeable features of society, as there depicted, are : i. The 
universality of kingly government. 2. The predominance of 
the tribe or nation over the city, whereas in the historical 
period the city is the state. 3. The existence of a hereditary 
nobility, who form the king's council. 4. The existence of 
an assembly which is convened by the king to receive com- 
munications and witness trials, but not either to advise or 
judge. 5. The absence of polygamy, and the high regard 
in which women are held. 6. Slavery everywhere estab- 
lished and considered to be right. 7. Perpetual wars be- 
tween the various tribes and nations, and the preference of 
the military virtues over all others. 8. Strong religious 
feeling ; belief in polytheism and in fate ; respect for the 
priestly character ; peculiar sanctity of temples and festival 
seasons. 

17. According to the traditions of the Greeks, some im- 
'^oxX.diViX foreign elements were received into the Foreign influ- 
nation during this first period. It is said that ^"'^^• 

* See note, end of this chapter. 



8o HISTORY OF GREECE. « 

both Phoenician and Egyptian settlements were made in 
Greece. Scholars now doubt that any such settlements were 
made ; but it is quite certain that the early Greeks, when 
they began to spread over the Grecian isles, came in con- 
tact with the Phoenicians, who were at this period the most 
commercial and progressive nation inhabiting the shores 
of the Mediterranean. From the Phoenicians the Greeks 
received the alphabet. It is probable, also, that the early 
Greeks drew from the fountains of antique Egyptian lore, 
and that they gained from the Egyptians their first knowl- 
edge of some of the arts and sciences ; while the influence 
of the Egyptian religious system can be plainly traced in the 
Greek mythology. 

l8. But, on the whole, Hellenic civilization was of home 
Greek civiiiza- growtli. Evcn what they took they stamped 
tion original. ^^,-^|^ ^j^^-j. ^^^,^^ character. Hence the Greek 

people must be considered to have developed for themselves 
that form of civilization, and those ideas on the subject of 
art, politics, morals, and religion, that have given them their 
peculiar reputation. 



Note on Troy. — In the revolutions of time the city of Troy has so 
completely disappeared that many scholars have been disposed to doubt 
even the existence of such a place. But in recent times fresh light seems 
to have been thrown on the subject by the researches of Dr. Schliemann, 
a German savant, who in the years 1869-73 niade a series of explorations 
in the Troad, or " plain of windy Troy." He identifies the city of Ilium, 
or Troy, with the modern place called Hissarlik. Many interesting 
archasologic remains were discovered by the explorer, who also states 
his belief that he could identify in the ruins the " house of Priam," the 
Scaean gate, and various other points mentioned by Homer. Many 
scholars are not prepared to accept all the conclusions of Dr. Schlie- 
mann ; but all agree that his discoveries are of great interest, and furnish 
new illustrations of the " tale of Troy divine." 



BEGINNINGS OF GREEK HISTORY. 8 1 



CHAPTER II. 
HISTORY OF THE FIRST PERIOD. 

FROM THE DORIAN MIGRATION TO THE BEGINNING OF THE PERSIAN IVARS. 
jjoo-soo B. C. 

I. BEGINNINGS OF GREEK HISTORY. 

19. Grecian history may be divided into three periods : 

1. From the Dorian migration to the begin- Periods of 
ning of the Persian Wars (1100-500 B.C.). Greek history. 

2. From the beginning of the Persian Wars to the subju- 
gation of Greece by Phihp of Macedon (500-338 b. c). 

3. From the subjugation of Greece by Phihp to the Roman 
conquest (338 - 146 b. c). 

20. Leaving the dim twihght of legendary Greece, we 
come to a period when there took place those Period of set- 
movements of tribes that finally resulted in Element, 
settling the Hellenes in those parts of Hellas in which we 
find them during the times of authentic history. Thus 
there seems to be no doubt that about the year 11 00 b. c. 
the Dorians, who originally had been an unimportant tribe 
in the small patch of northern territory on the southern 
slope of Mount CEta, began to make a great figure in Greek 
affairs; for moving southward they conquered the Achaean 
kingdoms in the Peloponnesus, took possession of Laconia, 
or Lacedaemon, and gradually subdued most of the neigh- 
boring states. 

21. Out of the Dorian conquest of the Peloponnesus re- 
sulted other great changes in the Hellenic other move- 
world. The Achaeans, expelled from the south "^^"ts. 

and east of the peninsula, fell back upon the northern coast, 
driving out the lonians. The latter found refuge with their 
brethren of the same race in Attica, and the lonians became 

4* F 



82 HISTORY OF GREECE. 

not only the dominant race in Central Greece, but also 
spread themselves over most of the Cyclades Islands in the 
^gaean Sea. 

22. The planting of Greek colonies in Asia Minor was 
Colonies in another important event of this early period, 
Asia Minor, connected with the general unsettlement result- 
ing from the Dorian conquest. These colonies were made 
by the three races, the ^Eolians, lonians, and Dorians. The 
y^olians established themselves along the coast of Mysia 
and in the Island of Les'bos, where they formed a confedera- 
tion of twelve cities (.4^'olis). The lonians established 
themselves on the shores of Lydia, and on the islands of 
Chi'os and Sa'mos (lo'nia), and grew into a very powerful 
confederation. The Dorian colonies were planted in the 
southwestern corner of Asia Minor and the adjacent islands 
(Do'ris) ; but they were of less importance than the y^olian, 
and especially the Ionian, settlements, which became of 
great note in Grecian history. 

23. Other settlements were made by the Greeks, of which 
Other settle- the most uotablc were those on the coasts of 
ments. Thracc and Macedonia, on the islands west 
of Greece, in Sicily, in Lower Italy (hence called Mag'na 
Grae'cia, or Great Greece),* and in the territory of Cyre'ne, 
or the Cyrenaica, along the northern coast of Africa. Some 
outposts of Hellenic settlement were planted as far east as 
the shores of the Euxine Sea, and one colony arose in the 
extreme western part of the Mediterranean at Massilia, now 
Marseilles. 

24. The establishment of so many colonies in countries 
Effect of coio- pre-eminently favored by nature in productions 
"*^^- and climate, and so situated as to prompt the 
inhabitants to navigation and commerce, gave a great im- 
pulse to the civilization of the Hellenic race, and may be 
regarded as the main cause of its rapid progress. 



* See map opposite page 72. 



t 



BEGINNINGS OF GREEK HISTORY. 



83 



25. The accompanying map represents the distribution 
of the several representatives of the Hellenic r^^^^^ 
race, at the time when the great movements 
of population just spoken of had been accomplished (say 
about 1000 B. c). 




26. At this time the two leading races of Greece were 
the lonians and the Dorians. These were dis- character of 
tin^uished from each other by striking: charac- the two lead- 

. . ,. rr 1 ing races. 

ten Sties, and the diiterence betAveen them 
forms a chief feature of Grecian politics ; it runs through 
their entire history, and was the principal cause of the deep- 
rooted antagonism between Athens, the representative of 
the Ionian race, and Sparta, the leading Doric state. The 
lonians were remarkable for their democratic spirit ; they 



84 HISTORY OF GREECE. 

were vivacious, fickle, given to commerce, fond of refined 
enjoyments, and devoted to the fine arts. The Dorian race 
was noted for the severe simplicity of its manners ; it pre- 
ferred an aristocratic form of government, and maintained 
slavery in its worst form. 

27. The authentic history of Greece commences with the 
Beginnings of epoch known as the First Olym'piad, b. c. 776. 
real history. Tliis era is the commencement of that consec- 
utive chronology, which the Greeks reckoned by the series 
of victors in the foot-race at the four-yearly festival of 
Olympian Jupiter near E'lis. The First Olympiad began in 
the midsummer of 776 b. c. ; the Second Olympiad in mid- 
summer of 772 B. c, etc., — the 01}mpiads recurring every 
four years. 

28. Looking at Greece at this period, — say the middle of 
Political the 8th century b. c, — we find that an impor- 
change. ^^^^ change in the nature of the government 
had taken place. During the heroic age, in that " youth of 
the world " which Homer paints, the various Grecian tribes 
were under kings ; but now the government had become 
republican, and we find the people gathered together in 
little free states. (Sparta was the only state that held 
to even the name of king.) Each city, in fact, formed an 
independent commonwealth with its own little territory; 
and there is no doubt that this parceling out of a small 
country was a main cause of the rapid development of 
political science in Greece. 

29. Divided as the Greeks were politically, they were, 

nevertheless, united by a certain national feel- 

Hellenic unity. , ,_^, r ^ • i 

mg. The root of this was the consciousness 
that they were all Hellenes ; and this sentiment was fostered 
by the possession of a common language, literature, and re- 
ligion, and of rites, temples, and festivals that were equally 
open to all. Still, the first feeling of every Greek was for 
his city, and there was scarcely even the sentiment of patri- 



SPARTA AND ATHENS. 85 

otism for Greece as a land. We shall soon see how imper- 
fect was the union even against the pressing danger of 
subjugation by Persia, and what a long series of sectional 
contests was carried on between the leading states. The 
Greeks in the end discovered the great principle of Federal 
Union ; but this was not till near the close of their history, 
when it was too late. 



2. GROWTH OF SPARTA AND ATHENS. 

30. In this section we shall glance at the history of the 
two most important Grecian states, namely, subject 
Sparta and Athens ; and we shall trace their treated, 
history down to the period when all Greece united against 
the Persians, about 500 b. c. 

31. At the commencement of authentic Grecian history 
we find the Spartans the dominant power in 

the Peloponnesus. They were a part of that 

great Dorian wave that about iioo b. c. had overflowed the 

southern peninsula of Greece : the Dorians established and 

settled three states, Argos, Messenia, and Laconia, or Lace- 

dcemon ; but in time the Spartans, that is, the people of 

Laconia, or Lacedsemon, gained supremacy over the other 

states. 

32. The ascendency which Sparta acquired over the oth- 
er states of the Peloponnesus was mainly ow- 
ing to her peculiar institutions, which tradition y'^"^^"^- 
ascribes to a legislator named Lycur'gus. Of this person- 
age nothing is known whatever, and some have even denied 
his existence. It is probable, however, that Lycurgus did exist 
somewhere about 850 b. c, that is, about a century before 
the beginning of reliable history, and that he more clearly 
defined and fixed already existing usages and regulations. 

33. But the peculiar constitution of the Spartans arose 
necessarily out of the circumstances in which they lived. 



S6 HISTORY OF GREECE. ' 

In other parts of the Peloponnesus the Dorian conquerors 
gradually fused with the native Achaeans, but 

Cause of Spar- ^ ^ ^ , , . . . 

tan pecuiiari- in Lacedaemou the separation was maintained. 
*'^^' Such of the Achaeans as readily submitted were 

allowed to retain their personal freedom, though without 
any political rights ; but the greater part were reduced to 
servitude, and were known as Helots. The citizens of 
Sparta were thus a small class of lords (estimated at 9,000 
in the time of Lycurgus) among a tenfold number <5f slaves 
and subjects ; and to keep these in subjection their whole 
training was military. 

34. The chief object of the legislation that goes by the 
Object of Ly- name of Lycurgan was to create and maintain 
curgus's laws. ^ vigorous and uncorrupted race of men ; 
hence it concerned itself less with political arrangements 
than with the regulation of private life and with physical 
education. 

35. By this system weakly children were exposed to per- 
Spartanedu- ^sh, while of those who were allowed to live 
*^^*^°"- the males were at the age of seven separated 
from their homes and trained by state educators. The 
whole time of the Spartans was spent in public. They 
took their frugal meals at public tables in messes or com- 
panies, to which each contributed so much from the prod- 
uce of his land. Great attention was devoted to gym- 
nastic exercises and military drill ; for the education of a 
Spartan, beginning with his seventh year, was not relaxed 
till his sixtieth. He was inured to hunger and thirst and 
to the extremes of heat and cold, and was taught to endure 
the keenest bodily torture without complaint. To teach 
him strategy and secrecy, there were licensed expeditions 
for thieving, and severe punishment was inflicted on him 
who allowed himself to be detected in it. Every one has 
heard of the Spartan youth who hid the stolen fox under 
his coat, and allowed it to tear out his vitals rather than 



SPARTA AND ATHENS. 8/ 

expose it to view. Girls were trained in athletic exercises 
nearly similar to those of the boys, but separately. This 
reared a race of vigorous women, the influence of whose pa- 
triotism in sustaining that of the men is matter of historic 
celebrity. " Return either with your shield or on it ! " was 
the exhortation of a Spartan mother to her son on his de- 
parture for the field of battle. 

36. Spartan education produced warriors, but naught 
else : that people contributed nothing to the 

literature and the arts for which the world is 
indebted to Greece. Oratory was held in special contempt, 
and philosophy was superseded by those " wise saws," the 
brevity of which we still describe as laconic. Commerce was 
forbidden to the Spartan citizens, and iron money alone was 
allowed for their few trading transactions. The fine arts 
were discouraged as leading to effeminacy. The labors 
of agriculture were carried on exclusively by the Helots. 
Thus the Spartans resided in the city, where they passed 
their lives according to the Lycurgan discipline, while all 
the ordinary pursuits of civilized life were left to their de- 
pendents. This discipline no doubt made them intrepid 
soldiers, but as a people they were stolid, ungenerous, and 
cruel, even for those cruel times. 

37. The constitution of Sparta was peculiar. At the 
head of the state were two joint-kings, who constitution 
commanded the armies and performed the of Sparta, 
public sacrifices. But their power was often merely nom- 
inal, and was always restricted by the Senate and by the 
Assembly of all the Spartans. The Assembly annually 
elected five officers called Ephors, who as a general thing 
exercised all power ; so that Sparta was really an oligarchic 
Republic, under the guise of a monarchy. 

38. Sparta under the Lycurgan system became an ag- 
gressive military state : she conquered the Mes- spartan con- 
senians (in two wars, 743 - 724 and 685-668 i"^^*^- 



88 HISTORY OF GREECE. 

B. c), humbled her powerful rival, the Argives (547 b. c), 
and thus raised herself to the leadership of the Dorian 
Commonwealths. Having become the controlling power of 
the Peloponnesus, Sparta in the 6th century b. c. began to 
assume the right of interference in the internal affairs of 
the Grecian states beyond the Peloponnesus, and it is prob- 
able that she would have eventually brought all the states 
under her sway (for they were then in no condition to dis- 
pute her pre-eminence), had it not been that, at the time at 
which we have arrived, all the states were called upon to 
unite their arms against the aggressions of the Persians. 

39. Parallel with the rise of Sparta was the growth of 

another state that was destined not only to 
push democratic freedom farther than any other 

Grecian state, but also to assert an intellectual supremacy 

over all Greece. This was Athens : — 

" Athens, the eye of Greece, mother of arts 
And eloquence, native to famous wits." 

40. It is known that the Athenians belonged to the 

Ionian race, of which indeed they were the 

Early history. •' 

flower. The founding of Athens runs back 
into the mythic period. At first the Athenians, like the 
other Hellenes, were under kings, but by the time that reli- 
able Athenian history begins, we find that Athens had 
ceased to be under regal rule, Codrus being the last of the 
kings. 

41. Athenian affairs, however, were not at this time 
Nature of the managed by all the people, but only by a 
government, privileged class of nobles. Thus, though a 
republic, Athens was not at this time a democracy. The 
kingly power had given place to the office of archoii : this 
was at first limited to the royal family and held for life ; 
then it was held for ten years, and finally thrown open to 
the whole body of the nobles, the number of archons in- 



I 



SPARTA AND ATHENS. 89 

creased to nine, and the period of office reduced to one 
year. There was also a Senate, afterwards called the 
Areopagus, but it was made up exclusively of the nobles. 
Thus we see that the great mass of the people had no share 
whatever in the government ; and it happened at Athens, 
as generally happens where power is confined to one class, 
that the oligarchy abused their privileges. 

42. The discontent of the people at length became so 
serious that a statesman named Dra'co was ap- 

... 1 . 1 Laws of Draco. 

pomted m 624 b. c. to draw up a written code 
of laws. They were marked by extreme severity; for he 
affixed the penalty of death to all crimes alike, — to petty 
thefts no less than to sacrilege and murder. Hence Dra- 
co's laws were said to have been written, not in ink, but in 
blood ; and we are told that he justified this extreme hard- 
ship by saying " that small offenses deserved death, and 
that he knew no severer punishment for great ones."* 

43. The legislation of Draco failed to calm the prevail- 
inp^ discontent, the overbearinor conduct of the 

? ,1 1 1 , 1 , Revolution. 

aristocracy led to popular outbreaks, and there 
came a state of anarchy, from which, at the beginning of the 
6th century b. c, Athens was rescued by Solon. Solon had 
been chosen one of the archons, and was commissioned to 
remodel the Constitution of Athens, 594 b. c. The success- 
ful manner in which he performed this work laid the founda- 
tion of the happiness of his native country. 

44. The main object of the constitution of Solon was to 
abolish the oppressive aristocracy and to sub- ^ ^ , 

. 1 • 1 Lavvs of Solon. 

stitute for it a moderate government, which 
should admit all Atheniaa citizens to a share of power, 
but give a preponderating influence to the higher orders. 
Solon's legislation was marked by great political sagacity, 
and under it Athens made rapid progress in prosperity; 

* Smith's History of Greece. 



90 HISTORY OF GREECE. 

but it was far from satisfying his contemporaries. Like 
most moderate politicians, he was accused by one side of 
going too far and by the other of not being radical enough. 

45. The result was a struggle of parties, which ended in 
Pisistratus ^^ seizurc of power by a leader named Pisis'- 

tratus, who (560 b, c.) assumed the position of 
Dictator, or, as the Greeks called it, Tyrant, — a term 
which, however, denoted merely one who usurped power, not 
necessarily one who abused power. There is no reason to 
believe that the constitution of Solon was abolished under 
Pisistratus. Athens continued to enjoy its republican gov- 
ernment, though under a dictator. Pisistratus ruled mildly, 
encouraged the arts and edited Homer, and even succeeded 
in transmitting his power to his sons; but after half a 
century of this mild tyranny, the family of the Pisistrat'idae 
were banished, 510 b. c. 

46. A noble named Clis'thenes now rose into power. He 
Reforms of cspouscd the causc of the people, gave the 
ciisthenes. suffrage to all free inhabitants, and introduced 
into the constitution political reforms to which very much 
of Athenian greatness is attributable. Under the new con- 
stitution the state was a pure democracy, and the establish- 
ment of liberty and equality gave a great impulse to the 
spirit of patriotism. The result was that Athens soon rose 
to be the leading state of Central Greece. 

47. At the period at which we have now arrived, — the 
The new beginning of the 5th century b. c, — Greece 
epoch. had put on the shape which she was to wear 
during the greatest times of her history. At this time a 
new era in Hellenic history begins. The Greeks had to 
bear the trial of a great foreign invasion. Europe, em- 
bodied in Greece, was to meet old Asia, represented by 
Persia, and the sons of Hellas were to come out of the 
struggle strong and ennobled. 



PERSIAN INVASIONS. 91 



CHAPTER III. 
HISTORY OF THE SECOND PERIOD. 

FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE PERSIAN IVAR TO THE VICTORY OF PHILIP 
OF MACEDON AT CH^RONEA, B. C. 500-33S. 

I. THE PERSIAN INVASIONS. 

48. We have already seen how the great Eastern Mon- 
archy, founded by Cyrus and extended by Relations with 
Cambyses, was consolidated by Darius, who Persia, 
became king of Persia in 521 B.C. Among the conquests 
of Cyrus was the kingdom of Lydia, in Asia Minor. Now, 
just before the Persian conquest of Lydia, the king of that 
country, Croesus, had succeeded in reducing under his own 
dominion the Greek cities on the coast of Asia Minor; 
so that now they, too, became subject to Persia. 

49. The Ionian cities did not submit without a struggle, 
and after a certain time there ensued a general ^ . 

1 /- 1 • • rr^i » 1 • Ionian revolt. 

revolt of these cities, 500 b. c. The Athenians, 
to help their kinsfolk in Ionia, sent twenty ships with a 
small force. A landing was made on the coast of Asia 
Minor, and Sardis, the capital of Lydia, was captured and 
accidentally burnt, 499 b. c. 

50. This sally had only the effect of drawing down the 
wrath of Darius on the Ionian cities, and the Effect on Da- 
re volt was soon quelled (494 b. c). The Per- '■'"^• 

sian monarch then resolved to chastise the Athenians. 
When the news of the burning of Sardis was brought to 
Darius, he called for his bow, and shot an arrow towards 
the sky, with a prayer to Auramazda for help to revenge 
himself on the Athenians. Then he bade one of his ser- 
vants repeat to him thrice daily, as he sat down to dinner, 
the words, " Master, remember the Athenians ! " 



92 



HISTORY OF GREECE. 



51. In execution of his purpose, Darius instructed his 
First hostile son-in-law, Mardo'nius, to march an army 
movement. against the Athenians. The force advanced 
through Thrace into Macedonia, which was speedily subju- 
gated, but it was able to go no farther ; and a fleet which 
had been sent to co-operate was shattered by a great storm 
off the peninsula of Mount A'thos, so that Mardonius re- 
turned to Asia Minor in disgrace, 492 b. c. 

52. This failure only added fury to the resolution of 
New prepara- Darius. While pushing forward his prepara- 
*^°"s- tions for the invasion of Greece, he sent round 
heralds to the chief Grecian cities to demand the tribute of 
earth and water as signs of his being their rightful lord. 
The island states generally made their submission, as did 




J 



PERSIAN INVASIONS. 



93 



also many of the continental states, and it seemed that the 
young civilization of the West was to be overwhelmed by 
Eastern despotism. But the genius of Hellas found noble 
champions in two of the states ; for Athens and Sparta 
indignantly rejected the demand, and their conjunction 
drew after them most of the lesser states in a defensive 
league. 

53. It was time-for Greece to be united, for in the spring 
of 490 B. c. the preparations of Darius were invasion of 
complete. A vast force, under a commander Greece, 
named Datis, sailed in 600 triremes from Samos across the 
^goean, reducing the Cyclades islands on the way, and after 
capturing Eretria in the island of Euboea, made a landing 
in the bay of Marathon, on the east coast of Attica. The 
Persians now prepared to advance on Athens. 

54. But this was not to be without a struggle, and the 
plain of Marathon was the scene of the con- 

7t - 1 . Marathon. 

iiict, one of the most nnportant and momen- 
tous in history. There, be- 
tween the mountains and the 
sea, the little Athenian force 
of 10,000 men, unaided save 
by 600 men from Platae'a, but 
led by the genius of Mil- 
ti'ades and inspired by high 
patriotic daring, met a Per- 
sian army of ten times its number, and defeated it, — 
September, 490 b. c. 

55. The Persian monarch was not able immediately to 
renew hostilities with the Greeks, for other 
affairs engaged his attention ; and when Darius 
finally found himself free to resume his purpose, he was cut 
off by death, 485 b. c. His son Xerxes succeeded to the 
throne, and promptly took up the task. The result was 
another and far m^re formidable invasion, made ten years 
after the battle of Marathon. 




The sequel. 



94 HISTORY OF GREECE. 



56. During this interval of ten years the Athenians were 
Affairs at Ath- not idle. At this time the leading men at 
ens. Athens were Themis'tocles and Aristi'des. 

Aristides was a pure patriot, but he was considered stub- 
born and impracticable. Themistocles, on the other hand, 
was a sagacious statesman: he urged that the Athenians 
should bend their energies to preparing against a renewal 
of the invasion by the Persians, and especially that a navy 
should be created; Aristides opposed this policy. Be- 
tween these two leaders there was a long rivalry; but 
finally Aristides was ostracized.* Under the vigorous coun- 
sels of Themistocles, the Athenians bent their energies to 
preparing for the impending conflict, and especially to 
building a great fleet of triremes. Then, as the note of 
preparation for the invasion sounded throughout all Asia, 
a general congress of the Grecian states summoned by 
Athens and Sparta was held at the Isthmus of Corinth. 
Though several of the states stayed away through fear, 
yet this was a truly national meeting; and it was re- 
solved that Sparta should be the. head of the league against 
Persia. 

* The institution of ostracism was a method which the Athenians had 
devised for the purpose of getting rid of obnoxious public men, and 
was in some respects a very good plan, as it stopped interminable quar- 
rels between rival politicians. It derived its name from the fact that 
the citizens, in voting for its infliction, wrote the name of the objection- 
able person on a shell [ostreoTt], and if there was a majority of votes 
for his banishment, he was exiled for ten years. The conflict between 
Aristides and Themistocles became at last so sharp that the Athenians 
finally voted to ostracize Aristides. Among those who voted were many, 
no doubt, whose hostility had been aroused by the stern probity of Aris- 
tides, who was known as " the Just." The story is true to nature, that 
when the vote of ostracism was being taken, an unlettered citizen, not 
knowing Aristides, asked him to write for him on the shell. " And 
what name shall I write } " " Aristides." " And, pray, what wrong has 
Aristides done you } " " O, none ; but I am tired of always hearing 
him called the Just." 



PERSIAN INVASIONS. 95 

57. From every part of his wide dominion Xerxes collect- 
ed at Sardis an army such as had never been Beginning of 
seen before. For transporting it into Europe sion. 

he caused a double bridge of boats to be built across the 
Hellespont, where it is a mile wide ; and in 480 b. c. the 
vast host (Herodotus puts it at 2,500,000 fighting men 
and ships' crews) crossed the bridge in two columns, taking 
seven days and nights to make the passage. A great fleet 
consisting of 1200 triremes (each manned by 200 rowers 
and 30 fighting men) and many smaller vessels pursued its 
course northward to the Hellespont, and then steered west- 
ward, keeping close to the coast so as to be in constant 
communication with the army. Meanwhile the prodigious 
array, having entered Europe, advanced westward through 
Thrace and Macedonia, and then turning southward through 
Thessaly, poured itself in a mighty deluge over the north- 
ern states of Greece and moved towards Attica. 

58. The Greeks resolved to take their stand in a narrow 
mountain-PToro^e lyin<^ between the precipitous 

. ^ c r^ 1 1 r • 1 Continuation. 

mountams 01 CEta and a marsh lormnig the 
edge of the Gulf of Mails. [See large map, p. 73.] This is 
the celebrated Pass of Thermop'ylae.^ It was, however, only 
a small force that was sent to the defense of Thermopylae. 
When the arrival of Xerxes in Northern Greece became 
known, the Greeks were upon the point of celebrating one 
of their religious festivals, and not wishing to give up the 
solemnity, they resolved to send merely men enough to 
hold the pass till the festival was over, when they would 
be able to march in full force. The defense of the po- 
sition was intrusted to the Spartan king, Leonidas, with 
about 7,000 troops, the flower of which consisted of 300 
Spartans. 

* Literally, gates of the hot sprijtgs : the pass contains several hot 
springs, and the/j/A?, or gates, are the two openings of the pass. 



96 



HISTORY OF GREECE. 



59. When the Persian host reached Thermopylae and 



Battle of Ther- SOUght tO force 



the pass, the Grecian guard 



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U L F 


F 


M P^ 


.>-' 


iM^ 


_, THEPAJOPV 


k^ 












S; 

V 


^{ 








-) 


M^,^ ^ T ^ 










,THERM0PYL/5L 








1 



mopyise. made a stout defense, and for two days kept 

the enemy at bay ; but on the third day a traitor pointed 
out to the Persian king how, by taking a mountain-path, 
the position of the Greeks might be "turned." When this 
movement became known, most of the Greek officers wished 

to withdraw, since the 
position was no longer 
tenable. But Leonidas 
refused to retreat. As 
a Spartan he was bound 
by the laws to conquer 
or to die in the post 
assigned to him. His 
three hundred Spartans were moved by the same feeling, 
and seven hundred Thespians resolved to share their 
fate. The rest of the allies were allowed to retire. This 
being done, Leonidas and his comrades determined to 
sell their lives as dearly as possible : so they advanced 
into the open space ih front of the pass and charged the 
Persians with desperate valor. But this heroism was in 
vain ; for their spears were erelong broken, and the enemy, 
pouring iu from front and rear, surrounded the Greeks on 
all sides. Leonidas fell, and the heroic band were killed 
to a man. The date of the battle was August, 480 b. c. 
60. The Greek fleet, as we have seen, had taken position 
off the northern coast of the Island of Euboea. 
Here a brisk naval action was fought, which, 
though indecisive, helped to raise the courage of the Greeks. 
It seemed, too, as though the gods were on their side, for in 
two great storms nearly half the Persian fleet was shattered. 
When, however, it became known to Themistocles, the com- 
mander of the Grecian fleet, that the Pass of Thermopylae 
had been carried and that the enemy was advancing on 



Naval affairs. 



PERSIAN INVASIONS. 97 

Athens, he withdrew the fleet southward to the Bay of 
Sal'amis, near Athens. 

61. The news of the approach of Xerxes created great 
consternation at Athens \ but the oracle told Matters at 
the Athenians that they must seek safety in -^t^^ns. 
their "wooden walls." This was interpreted to mean their 
ships. Accordingly the whole population was removed from 
the city, and the Persians took possession of Athens and 
reduced it to ashes. 

62. The fate of Greece was to be decided by a glorious 
naval combat. In the Bay of Salamis the Battle of saia- 
Greeks hid assembled their whole fleet '-f 366 "^'^• 

ships. Though the Persians had lost heavily by storm, 
they had still about 1000 vessels, and two months after the 
battle of Thermopylae the opposing fleets were arrayed 
for the fight. The Persian army was drawn up along the 
shore, and the Eastern monarch, anticipating a brilliant 
victory, took his seat on a lofty throne, on a promontory 
overlooking the scene. 

" A king sat on the rocky brow 
Which looks o'er sea-born Salamis ; 
And ships by thousands lay below, 
And men in nations, — all were his. 
He counted them at break of day, 
And when the sun set, where were they?" 

63. Salamis was a complete victory for the Greeks ; the 
Persians lost over 200 ships, and Xerxes, 

struck with cowardice, beat a retreat into his ^^^"^*" 
own dominions by the route on which he came, October, 
480 B. c. 

64. When Xerxes retired he left behind a force of 
300,000 under one of his generals, named Mar- piataea and 
donius. The following year a decisive combat, Mycaie. 

in which the Greeks were completely successful, was fought 

at Platffia between this force and a Greek army of 70,000 

5 G 



98 HISTORY OF GREECE. 

men under the Spartan leader Pausanias and the Athenian 
leader Aristides, September 25, 479. On the same day a 
battle at Myc'ale (in Asia Minor) effected the destruction of 
the remnant of the Persian fleet. 

65. These three battles, Salamis, Platsea, and Mycale, de- 
cided the war, and the Persians never again 
dared to invade Greece itself. The struggle, 
it is true, went on for several years longer before the Per- 
sians were dislodged from the various posts which they held 
north of the ^gaean \ but at last they were driven wholly 
out of Europe. Thus it was that the liberties of Greece 
were secured, and it must be remembered that the preser- 
vation of Grecian independence meant the preservation of 
the civilization of Europe. 



2. THE AGE OF PERICLES. 

66. The half-century following the battle of Salamis 
Period of Peri- (4^0 - 430 B. c.) forms the most brilliant period 
^^^^- of Athenian history, and one of the most illus- 
trious eras in the history of the world. It is usually called 
the " age of Pericles," its duration nearly coinciding with 
the public life of that statesman who for forty years, though 
merely a private citizen, held a controlling influence over 
the politics of Athens. 

67. The main cause of the ascendency which Athens now 
Policy of Ath- assumed was the brilliant part played by that 
^"^' state in the Persian wars. To preserve the 
freedom of the now liberated Greek cities on the islands 
and coasts of the yEgaean, a league was formed of which 
Athens, from her naval power, became naturally the leader. 
The inland states meanwhile clung to Sparta. It soon came 
about that the maritime cities were brought into a sort of 
subjection to Athens ; the Athenians denied the right of the 
states to secede from the confederation, caused the separate 



AGE OF PERICLES. 99 

treasury of the league to be merged in that of Athens, and 
employed the ships and money of the allies in prosecuting 
their own aggrandizement. If this was short-sighted pol- 
icy, it at least put the Athenians in an almost imperial po- 
sition for the time being, and carried forward the little 
democracy to a wonderful degree of power and splendor. 

68. It was during this period, when the Athenian intel- 
lect was stimulated by a proud sense of na- sketch of the 
tional greatness, that Grecian genius put forth Period. 

its richest blossoms of literature and art. This was the age 
of grand dramatic composition, and of the greatest works 
of architecture and sculpture. Oratory, which is so power- 
ful an instrument in a free state, was now cultivated assidu- 
ously, and the Athenians became accustomed to hearing the 
purest lessons of patriotism put forth in the loftiest forms 
of eloquence. In fine, the Athenian commonwealth under 
the exertions of Pericles attained such an exalted state of 
cultivation that it is recorded that the citizens were almost 
all equally qualified to fill offices or discharge business ; so 
that the regulation, that the greater part of the public offices 
should be filled by lot, rarely resulted in the choice of any 
but able and well-qualified men. 

69. It was in this age that, on the other hand, the seeds 
were sown of that terrible civil strife that rent Beginning of 
the glory of Greece ; for Pericles himself lived strife. 

to see the outbreak of that direful conflict known as the 
Peloponnesian War. 

70. This great man, one of the very ablest statesmen 
that ever lived, fell a victim to a pestilence pgj.jj.jgg 
that raged in Athens in 429 b. c. His death- 
bed was surrounded by his friends and admirers, who recit- 
ed the many illustrious exploits of his glorious life. " You 
forget," said the dying patriot, — " you forget the only valua- 
ble part of my character : none of my fellow-citizens was 
ever compelled by any action of mine to assume a mourn- 
ing robe." 



lOO HISTORY OF GREECE. 



3. THE PELOPONNE3IAN WAR. 

71. The Peloponnesian war was a conflict between 
Duration of Athens and her aUies, on the one hand, and 
the war. Sparta and her allies, on the other. It began 
in 431 B. c, lasted twenty-seven years, and ended in weak- 
ening Greece generally, and in completely destroying the 
Athenian ascendency. 

72. This war was occasioned by the jealousy which the 
Cause of the gi'eat powcr of Athens stirred up among many 
^^'■- other of the Greek cities ; but it had in reality 
a deeper cause : it was the outbreak of an " irrepressible 
conflict " between lonians and Dorians, between democracy 
and oligarchy, — Athens being the chief of the Ionian and 
democratic states, and Sparta the chief of the Dorian and 
aristocratic states. 

73. The immediate occasion of the war was a conflict 

between Corinth and one of her colonies, 
^ " Corcy'ra. Siding with the latter, Athens ex- 
cited the wrath of the Dorian Confederacy ; and a Spartan 
army invaded Attica, 43 1 b. c. During the first ten years 
of the war, down to 421, the two parties contended with 
nearly equal success, the Athenians being much the stronger 
by sea, and the Spartans and their allies by land. A peace 
was then concluded, called the " Peace of Nicias " (421 b. c), 
which was to last for fifty years ; but as many of the 
confederates were dissatisfied with its terms, it was not 
likely to be of such long duration, and indeed hostilities 
were renewed almost immediately. 

74. The renewal of the war was precipitated through 

the political influence of Alcibi'ades, a hand- 

Alcibiades. t i t • i r r^ 

some, dissolute young disciple of Socrates : 
he possessed brilliant talent, but he was ambitious, and he 
was eager to renew the war, as affording him an opportunity 
of personal distinction. 



SPARTAN AND THEBAN SUPREMACY. lOI 

75. Alcibiades brought forward a scheme of conquering 
Syracuse, a city in Sicily. It was a bold syracusan ex- 
scheme, and its successful execution would petition, 
have given a great preponderance to Athens over Sparta. 
The Athenians adopted the plan, and in b. c. 415 sent a 
fleet and force against the Syracusans. Sparta sent aid 
to the Syracusans, and thus the Peloponnesian war was 
renewed. In the midst of the enterprise Alcibiades was 
recalled to Athens on a charge of impiety j but he managed 
to escape, and went over to Sparta. The Syracusan expe- 
dition proved a total failure (413 b. c), and greatly damaged 
the power of Athens. 

76. During the last eight years the Peloponnesian war 
was carried on mainly at sea, off the coast of 

Asia. Sparta allied herself with Persia, and °^'"^ years, 
it was Persian gold that afforded Sparta the means to 
continue the contest against Athens. Athens, however, 
made a bold front, and under the lead of Alcibiades (who 
had meanwhile been recalled to the command) kept up the 
contest with wonderful vigor. But a fatal blow fell when the 
Spartan admiral, Lysander, surprised the beached galleys 
of the Athenians at ^gos Pof amos in the Hellespont, b. c. 
405. The siege and surrender of Athens in the following 
year brought the great Peloponnesian contest to an end. 

77. The result of the Peloponnesian war left Sparta the 
greatest power of Greece. Athens sank into Result of the 
the background as a second-rate state ; still, ^^'■• 

while she lost her political supremacy, she became more 
and more the leader in literature, art, and philosophy. 



4. PERIOD OF SPARTAN AND THEBAN SUPREMACY. 

78. After the decline of Athens Sparta stood without a 
rival in Greece, and for thirty-four years (from spartan su- 
the victory at ^gos Potamos to the defeat of premacy. 



I02 HISTORY OF GREECE. 

Leuctra, 405 -371 b. c.) the Lacedaemonians exercised an 
undisputed sway in Greece. The Spartan dominion was 
extremely despotic, and the Greek states that at the begin- 
ning of the Peloponnesian war had sided with Sparta as 
a " hberator " from Athenian rule now found the Spartan 
yoke much more galling than the Athenian had been. 

79. Meantime in Thebes a new power was arising 

Rise of Thebes ^^^ ^^^^ ^^ ^"^^ ^^^ pride. The greatness of 
■ Thebes was the work of two men, — Epami- 
non'das and Pelop'idas, — who knew how to inspire their 
fellow-citizens with their own heroic spirit. To revenge 
themselves for the insults of Sparta, the Thebans, under 
these leaders, began a long and heroic struggle. The de- 
cisive combat of this war was fought at Leuctra, where 
Epaminondas utterly defeated the Spartans, 371 b. c. In 
consequence of this defeat Sparta fell suddenly and forever 
from her high estate. 

80. Thebes now rose to be the leading state of Greece, 
Theban su- ^^1^ this position shc held as long as her great 
premacy. chieftain, Epaminondas, lived. But in the bat- 
tle of Mantine'a (362 b. c), waged against the Spartans and 
Athenians, the Theban chieftain died in the arms of victory. 
With the fall of Epaminondas Thebes herself fell, for there 
was no one to take his place. 

81. The struggle between Sparta and Thebes, following 
Effect of the ^s it did the great Peloponnesian war, — in 
wars. ho\h of which nearly all the Hellenic states 
were engaged, — resulted in the general exhaustion of 
Greece. What strength remained was expended in mere 
intestine broils, and soon after this Greece fell an easy prey 
to Philip of Macedon. 



SUPREMACY OF MAC EDO N. I03 



CHAPTER IV. 
HISTORY OF THE THIRD PERIOD. 

FROM THE VICTORY OF PHILIP TO THE ABSORPTION OF GREECE BY THE 

ROMANS. 

I. SUPREMACY OF MACEDON. — PHILIP. 

82. The Macedonians, though closely allied by race 
to the Greeks, had remained in obscurity while Early Mace- 
their southern kinsmen were pursuing their '^°"- 
stirring career. But in the middle of the 4th century b. c. 
they came under a bold and energetic chief. This was 
Philip, son of Amyntas II. 

%'^. Philip assumed the government of Macedonia in 
359 B. c. He was well acquainted with Grecian 

T,- 1 • . 1 , Philip's plans. 

politics, having as a young man resided at 
Thebes in the character of a hostage, and when he became 
king he set on foot a plan for the elevation of Macedonia. 
This was not by any means to conquer Greece, but to have 
Macedonia recognized as a Greek state, and then to make 
it the leading state of Hellas, — just as Athens, Sparta, and 
Thebes had successively been. 

84. Philip commenced by craftily mixing himself up with 
Greek affairs ; and he managed with such skill Doings of 
that at last he was acknowledged as a member P^i^ip- 

of the Amphic'tyonic Council, the great religious assembly 
of Hellas, — a concession equivalent to the recognition of 
Macedon as a Greek state. Step by step his ambition grew, 
till he began to think of a grand scheme of conquest. 

85. This plan the great Athenian orator Demosthenes 
clearly perceived, and he commenced utterinor 

.1 ,, J r 1 • • • • 1 1 Demosthenes. 

the thunder or his voice in warnings ; but the 

Athenians had lost much of their patriotic ardor, so they 

took these warnings but tardily. 



I04 HISTORY OF GREECE. 

86. The direct aggressions of Philip on Athens com- 
tareer of menced about 358 B. c, and for twenty years he 
^^^^^P- continued a mixed policy of war and intrigue, 
which at length made him master of Greece. In 338 b. c, 
at Chaerone'a (in Boeotia), he won a decisive victory over 
the Athenians and Thebans ; this crushed the liberty of 
Greece, and made it in reality a province of Macedonia. 

87. The main causes of Philip's wonderful success were 
Causes of his twofold, — I . His admirable military organiza- 
success. ^JQj^ . ^j^g Macedonian phalanx, invincible until 
it came to be opposed to the Romans, was his creation. 
2. His political finesse : taking advantage of the divided 
condition of Greece and of the general prevalence of cor- 
ruption, he played off state against state, politician against 
politician, promising, cajoling, bribing, threatening, so that 
he won even more by diplomacy than by force. 

88. Philip now announced his intention of uniting all 

the forces of Hellas to make war on Persia, 

His after plans. i i i . • r ^ 

and avenge the old mvasions of Greece by 
Darius and Xerxes. This was a very skillful stroke of policy 
on the part of Philip ; it diverted the minds of the Greeks 
from the thought of the loss of their independence, by filling 
their imaginations with the glorious vision of a great na- 
tional enterprise of the Hellenes against the barbarians. 

89. The design, however, was not executed ; for in the 
„ , , midst of the preparations Philip was assassi- 

His death. , , r -T- i • / x 

nated by one of his own subjects (336 b. c), at 
the age of forty-six, after a reign of twenty-three years. 



2. CAREER OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT. 

90. Philip was succeeded by his son Alexander, known 
as Alexander the Great. At the age of twenty 

Alexander. , , , . i • r i » i r 

he became heir to his father s power, and 01 
far more than his father's military genius. He was imme- 



ALEXANDER THE GREAT. I05 

diately acknowledged generalissimo of Greece against the 
Persians, as his father had been. In the year 334 he set 
out on his great expedition, and as he never returned to 
Macedonia or Greece, we must now turn our eyes away 
from Greek history proper, and follow the marvelous ca- 
reer of the youthful conqueror, 

91. Alexander crossed the Hellespont with a small army 
of 35,000 men, and advanced to the Grant' cus ^is first vic- 
(in Asia Minor). Here a Persian army some- t°''i^s. 
what larger than his own was met and defeated, b. c. 334. 
He then passed victoriously through the Persian provinces of 
Asia Minor, and entered Syria. At Issus^ near the borders 
of Cilicia and Syria, a vast Persian army under Darius 
Codoman'nus was met. The nature of the ground was such 
that the Persian superiority in numbers did not tell ; Alex- 
ander here won a signal victory {^il?) ^- C-)? ^"^^ Darius fled, 
leaving his mother and his wife captives. 

92. Alexander did not immediately follow up the Per- 
sians, but proceeded from Issus against Tyre, His next op- 
Gaza, and Egypt, at this time under the domin- oration. 

ion of Persia. Twenty months sufficed for the reduction 
of these places. The foundation of the great seaport Al- 
exandria, — an act of far-sighted policy on the part of Alex- 
ander, — was a result of his sojourn in Egypt. 

93. Having possessed himself of all the maritime prov- 
inces of Persia, Alexander, in b. c. 331, pro- Battle of 
ceeded to seek his enemy in the heart of his ^rbeia. 
empire. The final conflict took place at Arbe'la in Assyria.* 
Here Darius had chosen his ground and arrayed the full 
force of his empire. But the Asiatic soldier was inferior 
to the European, and the invading force was led by a con- 
summate military genius. The result was the complete 
overthrow of a Persian force of a million men by less than 

* Though the action bears the name of Arbela, it was in reality fought 
at Gaugame'la, a village 20 miles distant. 



I06 HISTORY OF GREECE. 

50,000 Greeks (b. c. 331). So decisive was the victory, that 
the three capitals of the empire, Babylon, Susa, and Per- 
sep'olis, surrendered almost without resistance ; and the 
Persian monarch became a fugitive, and was erelong assas- 
sinated. 

94. Thus at the age of twenty-five Alexander saw him- 
Aiexander's sclf lord of Western Asia. But the most re- 
ambition. markablc part of the conqueror's career was 
now to begin. Instead of settling down in the luxurious 
capital of the East, he was urged by an irresistible impulse 
to press on, so long as there were lands or men to conquer. 

95. To the east of Persia lay a new and unknown 
Expedition to world, bclieved to be one of immense wealth, 
^"'*^^- and he resolved to penetrate it. Half explor- 
ing, half conquering, he pushed his way into the mysterious 
Orient as far as the river Hyph'asis (the modern Sutlej) in 
Northern India (326 b. c ).* He subdued the princes that 
were found reigning here, and then desired to press east- 
ward and complete the subjugation of the continent, which 
was believed to terminate at no great distance. 

96. His soldiers, however, refused to go any farther 
than the Hyphasis ; so he had to prepare to return home- 
wards. It is a proof of his inventive genius, that in place 

* See the route of Alexander on the map opposite paa:e 55. From 
Persep'olis he went to Ecbat'ana, thence eastward through Media, Hyr- 
cania, Parthia, and Aria, founding in the latter a city of Alexandria 
(modern Herat) ; then southward through Drangia'na ; then (late in 330) 
northeastward through Aracho'sia, founding there Alexandrop'olis (mod- 
ern Candahar' .'' ) ; then northward across the range of the Paropami'sus 
or Hindoo Koosh, across the Oxus River, and (early in 329) traversing 
Bactria'na and Sogdia'na to the capital of the latter, Maracanda (modern 
Samarcand) ; then northward to the Jaxartes River, where he founded 
Alexandria Eschate (i. e. the last ox farthest) ; then back again, scouring 
Sogdiana and Bactriana in various directions ; then, in 327, southeast- 
ward from Bactriana to the Indus, which he crossed at Tax'ila ; then 
eastward to the Hydaspes, founding Buceph'ala and Nicse'a, and finally 
to the Hyph'asis. 



ALEXANDER THE GREAT. IO7 

of retracing his steps he went back by an entirely new path. 
He built a fleet to sail down the Hydas'pes Return from 
and the Indus, while the bulk of his army ^"'*'^- 
marched down their banks. Reaching the Indian Ocean, 
Alexander sent his admiral, Near'chus, with the fleet, round 
to the Euphrates ; he himself led his army overland through 
the desert region of Gedro'sia (Beloochistan) and Carma'nia 
into Persia. Though his army suffered terribly in the des- 
ert, yet Alexander brought back the greater part of his force 
to Persepolis (324 b. c), and began to prepare for new en- 
terprises. 

97. The plans of Alexander were brought to an end by 
the sudden death of their projector, at Baby- . ^ 

. , . 1 , \ Kis death. 

Ion, at the age of thirty-three (b. c. 323). 

Thus cut off in the vigor of early 
manhood, he left no inheritor either of 
his power or of his projects. When 
asked on his death-bed to whom he 
left the empire, he said, "To the 
strongest." But there was none strong 
enough. Thus the vast dominion broke 
into fragments soon after his death, 

Coin of Alexander. ^^^ |^-g fJaj-ing schemes of poHcy and 

conquest were buried in his grave. 

98. Though the great empire of Alexander broke in 
pieces almost at once, yet the effects of his Result of his 
career have remained to all time. One great conquests, 
result was the Helknizing of the conquered lands, that is, 
their assimilation to Greek ideas and Greek civilization. 
"The Greek language became the tongue of all govern- 
ment and literature throughout many countries where the 
people were not Greek by birth. It was thus at the very 
moment that Greece began to lose her political freedom 
that she made, as it were, an intellectual conquest of a 
large part of the world." 




I08 HISTORY OF GREECE. 



3. ALEXANDER'S SUCCESSORS. 

99. The great empire of Alexander, as has been said, 
Division of f^^l to pieces after his death, and the generals 
the empire. ^j^^ ]^^(^ foiight under him contended fiercely 
during twenty years for the fragments. In the year 301 a 
decisive action took place at Ipsus in Phrygia, the result of 
which gave Syria and the East to Seleucus, Egypt to Ptol- 
emy, Thrace to Lysim'achus, and Macedonia to Cassander. 
Of the various kingdoms founded by these men, two are of 
special interest, — the kingdom of the Ptolemies in Egypt 
and the kingdom of the Seleu'cidae in the East. 

100. Egypt fell to the lot of Ptolemy, one of Alexander's 

p^enerals, known as P.tolemy Soter. He was 
Egypt. ^ ' . 1 1 / • 1 

an energetic monarch, and durmg a long reign 

(323-283 B.C.) ruled Egypt, on the whole, well. The 
Greeks and the Macedonians whom he carried with him or 
who emigrated to Egypt were the ruling race ; but the Egyp- 
tians were not oppressed, for many of the civil rulers were 
natives, and particular respect was paid to the old Egyptian 
religion. 

101. Ptolemy I. was followed by a series of monarchs 

also called Ptolemies down to the time of 
o emi . Q^gg^ Cleopatra, the last of the line of the 
Ptolemies. On her death (30 b. c.) Egypt became a Roman 
province. 

102. The history of Egypt during the three centuries of 
Alexandrine Ptolcmaic rule is mainly the history of Alexan- 
civiiization. ^x\?i, which was made the capital, and which 
soon became a great and flourishing city. Literature, phi- 
losophy, and the arts were assiduously cultivated ; the great 
Alexandrian Library was swelled to 500,000 volumes, and a 
novel and peculiar culture and civilization — a mingling of 
Greek, Egyptian, and Jewish — arose on the Nile banks, 
under the paternal despotism of the Ptolemies. 



MACEDON AND GREECE. IO9 

103. The kingdom of the Seleucidae was founded (312 
B. c.) by SeleucLis, another of Alexander's gen- Kingdom of 
erals. At first the kingdom consisted merely Seieucus. 

of Babylonia and the adjacent regions, Susiana, Media, and 
Persia ; but Seieucus afterwards made himself master of all 
the countries lying between the Indus and Euphrates on the 
one hand, and the Jaxartes and the Indian Ocean on the other. 
A still further addition was soon made in nearly all of Asia 
Minor. Seieucus now removed his capital from Babylonia 
to the newly founded Greek city of Antioch in Syria. 

104. Seieucus, who died by assassination in 280, was fol- 
lowed by a succession of kings known as the ^ ^. ^ 

-' • 1 1 Later history. 

Seleucidae, who for about t^vo centuries ruled 
over the kingdom he had founded. This portion of history, 
however, is not specially instructive, and the kingdom of the 
Seleucidae was of no considerable importance in the histQry 
of civilization. The two centuries are filled with the stories 
of wars and revolts, in the midst of which the kingdom grad- 
ually lost its huge proportions ; its remnant was finally con- 
quered by Pompey and absorbed into the Roman Empire 
in the year 65 b. c. 



4. LATER HISTORY OF MACEDON AND GREECE. 

105. We now return to what took place in Macedon and 
Greece subsequently to the death of Alexander Greece resists 
the Great in b. c. 323. On the death of Alex- Macedon. 
ander, the Greeks were inspired by high hopes of bursting 
the chains which bound Hellas to the footstool of the 
Macedonian kings. Athens, under Demosthenes and Hy- 
per'ides, took the lead : they formed a confederacy of the 
Greek states, and entered on what was called the " Lamian 
war "(323-321 B. c). But the confederates were unsuccess- 
ful, and the yoke of Macedonia was riveted on them more 
firmly than ever. 



no HISTORY OF GREECE. 

106. The last days of Grecian history, before the coun- 
Later Greek try came aUogether under the power of the 
politics. Romans, are distinguished in several ways 
from the times which went before them. The chief powers 
of Greece now were Macedonia, Achaea, ^tolia, and Sparta : 
Macedonia, for reasons that will readily be known ; Achasa 
and ^tolia, from a new fact in the politics of Greece, 
namely, the formation of Federal Leagues of States. 

107. The nature of these leagues was similar to the 
Grecian federal union of the States of Switzerland and 
leagues. q£ Q^J. ^^^ Republic ; that is, there was an 
agreement on the part of several states to give up part of 
their power, and especially their control of questions of 
peace and war, to a general government in which all had a 
share. These leagues now came to be of special weight in 
Greek politics, since it was found that as long as the cities 
stood one by one they had no chance of keeping their free- 
dom against the Macedonian kings. The most important 
of these federal unions were the Achaean (formed in 280 
B. c.) and^ the ^Etolian Leagues. Besides these two great 
federations, there were smaller unions ; so that, with the 
exception of Sparta at one end and Macedonia at the other, 
the greater part of Greece was parted out among the differ- 
ent leagues. 

108. These confederations of the Greek States subserved 

a useful purpose, as they enabled them to pre- 

Their effect. T r • i i • ■».*- 

sei-ve a front of independence against Mace- 
don. Under Ara'tus and Philopce'men, — two patriots of 
the kind that Hellas had produced in her glorious times, — 
the States of the Achaean League rose to a considerable 
eminence (245-213 B.C.); but the jealous selfishness of 
Sparta once more led to discord and strife, and the Mace- 
donian king, being called in as umpire, was once more 
master. 

109. But Macedon itself was about to be swallowed up by 



ANALYTIC SYNOPSIS. Ill 

a yet greater power, — by Rome. It was at this time, as we 
shall presently see, that the Romans, having Macedon and 
broken the power of Carthage, turned their Ro"^e. 
ambition eastward. After a long conflict (200-168 b. c.) 
the Macedonian kingdom was overthrown at the battle of 
Pydna, 168 b. c, and Perseus, the last of the Macedonian 
kings, adorned as a captive the triumph of a Roman general. 

110. After this event the Greek republics were for a 
short time left independent ; but, quarreling Last days of 
once more among themselves, they were finally Greece. 
(146 B. c.) reduced to a Roman province under the name 
of Achaia. 

111. The intellectual history of later Greece was of a 
different character from that of its glorious Decline of 
period. There was more of scholarship, but ^^^^^s. 

less of creative genius. We have seen that the Oriental 
conquests of Alexander and the Greek rule in the new king- 
doms of the East tended to Hellenize Asia ; but there was 
a reflex influence of Asia on Hellas herself. The Oriental 
habits of servility and adulation superseded the old free- 
spoken independence and manliness ; patriotism and public 
spirit waned ; literature lost its vigor ; art deteriorated, and 
the people sank into a nation of pedants, parasites, and 
adventurers. 

" 'T was Greece, but living Greece no more ! " 



ANALYTIC SYNOPSIS FOR REVIEW. 



Three Periods 



First Authentic Period. — from the Dorian migra- 
tions to the beginning of the Persian Wars, B. c. 
1100-500. 



r . Second Period, — from the beginning of the Persian 



Greek history. 



Wars to the victory of Philip of Macedon at Chaero- 
nea, b. c 500-338. 

Third Period, — from the victory of Philip to the 
[ absorption of Greece by the Romans, b. c. 338- 146 



112 



HISTORY OF GREECE. 



General 

Summary. 



General 
Summary. 



First Period, B. C. 1100-500. 

The Heroic Age ended with a 
general migration of the tribes of 
Greece, the settlement of the Do- 
rians in the Peloponnesus, and the 
establishment of colonies on the 
shores of Asia Minor and else- 
where. In the succeeding three 
or four centuries the Spartans, 
under the form of government 
established by Lycurgus, became 
the leading state of the Pelopon- 
nesus, conquering the Messenians 
and others. Athens meantime 
had become an oligarchy. A more 
moderate government was estab- 
lished by Solon ; however, con- 
tentions were frequent, and Pi- 
sistratus seized power, which 
remained with his sons, till the 
Pisistratidae were expelled, and 
. Athens became a pure democracy. 

Second Period, B. C. 500-338. 

The Ionian Greeks in Asia 
Minor revolted from Persia, and 
Athens lent them aid. Accord- 
ingly Darius sent Mardonius 
against Greece ; but he advanced 
no farther than Macedonia, his 
fleet being destroyed by a storm. 
Then Darius sent a vast force 
under Datis, but it was defeated 
in the battle of Marathon. Da- 
rius having died, his son Xerxes 
moved on Greece with an im- 
mense army and fleet : he was 
successful at Thermopylae, and 
took Athens; but was defeated at 
Salamis, and the remaining force 
at Plataea and Mycale, — which 
caused the Persian scheme wholly 



LEADING DATES. 

B. C. 

Dorian migration hoc 



Colonies founded 
in Asia Minor 
(about) 1000 

Period of Lycur- 
gus (about 850 

Beginning of first 
Messenian war.. 743 

Beginning of sec- 
ond 685 

Solon's constitu- 
tion 594 

Pisistratus be- 

came dictator... 560 

Banishment of the 
Pisistratidae 510 



Revolt of the Ioni- 
an Greeks against 
Persia 500 

Expedition of Mar- 
donius 4ga 



Battle of Mara- 
thon 490 



Battle of Ther- 
mopylae 480 

Battle o^f Salamis. 480 

Battle of Plataea.. 479 

Battle of Mycale.. 479 



ANALYTIC SYNOPSIS. 



113 



to fail. The half-century follow- 
ing the battle of Salamis was the 
most brilliant period of Athenian 
history (age of Pericles) ; but the 
greatness of Athens led to the 
Peloponnesian war. This was in- 
terrupted by the Peace of Nicias ; 
but, being renewed, the Athenians 
were beaten in various engage- 
ments, and finally defeated at 
^gos Potamos : so the result 
of this war was the ascendency of 
Sparta. Sparta continued prom- 
inent till her defeat at Leuctra 
Thebes now became for a while 
the leading state ; but Greece, 
rent by dissensions, was soon sub- 
jugated by Philip of Macedon, in 
the battle of Chaeronea. 



Beginning of Pelo- 
ponnesian War.. 

Peace of Nicias... 



431 
421 



Battle of iEgos 
Potamos 405 



Battle of Leuctra. 371 



Battle of Chaero- 
nea 338 



General 
Summary. 



Third Period, B. C. 338 - 146. 

Philip of Macedon by war and 
intrigues made himself master of 
Greece, and was then appointed 
general-in-chief against Persia ; 
but he died, and his son Alexan- 
der took up the task. He marched 
against the Persians in Asia Mi- 
nor, defeating them at the Granicus 
and at Issus ; then into Egy])t and 
Assyria, defeating them in the de- 
cisive battle of Arbela. He after- 
wards marched eastward to beyond 
the Indus, and thence returned to 
Babylon, where he died. After 
Alexander's death his generals 
disputed, and the empire was di- 
vided. Greece, meanwhile, fell 
into a state of intestine war, and 
^ at last became a Roman province. 



Death of Philip of 
Macedon 336 



Battle of the Gran- 
icus 334 

Battle of Issus... 333 



Battle of Arbela. 



3.^1 



Death of Alexan- 
der 323 



Greece made a Ro- 
man province... 146 



114 HISTORY OF GREECE. 



CHAPTER V. 
GRECIAN CIVILIZATION. 

I. POLITICAL IDEAS. 

112. The history of Greece, though the history of but a 

small part of the world for a brief period (the 

Part played in , ^ . ,. . , , i , ,r 

history by grand age is limited to the century and a half 
between the battle of Marathon, 490 b. c, 
and the triumph of Philip of Macedon, 338 b. c), is of 
permanent interest, for the reason that the Greeks were 
the first people to show the world what real freedom and 
real civilization are. It has been said that in the Grecian 
commonwealths "the political and intellectual life of the 
world began." 

113. The great contribution given by Greece to the 
Political free- world's civilization was the practical example 
**°"^- of free, self-governing states. In the Oriental 
nations the only government was despotism : there was an 
absolute lord, and there was a mass of subjects or slaves, 
but no people in a political sense. It was left for the Greek 
states to give an illustration of democracy, — " the govern- 
ment of the people, for the people, by the people." This 
was a great fact : it is only in an atmosphere of freedom 
that the human mind can expand and that pi'ogress is pos- 
sible, for political liberty means intellectual liberty ; so 
that, without this, the germs of Hellenic genius would prob- 
ably never have borne their rich fruitage of literature and 
art. 

2. RELIGION. 

114. Though the Greeks never rose to the exalted He- 
brew conception of one God, yet their religion was much 



i 



RELIGION. 1 1 5 



in advance of the dark and often cruel superstitions of 
most of the ancient nations. They were poly- ^^^^^ ^^^ 
theists, but, as they looked on the gods as other pagan- 

, - . , 1 . . ism. 

their personal friends, their paganism was a 

religion of love, whereas Asiatic paganism was a religion 

of fear. 

115. The religion of the Greeks received its peculiar 
form from the beautiful fictions of the poets, its poetic 
especially of Homer and He'siod. Thus their character, 
mythology was an inexhaustible treasury of highly ideal con- 
ceptions which the chisel and the pen of artists and poets 
embodied in forms of immortal grandeur and loveliness. 

116. In the Grecian theogotiy, or history of the gods, the 
earliest events that are described are the pro- Greek theog- 
ceedings of certain gigantic agents, — the col- °"y- 

lision of certain terrific forces, which were ultimately reduced 
under the more orderly government of Zeus, or Jupiter, 
with whom begins a new dynasty, and a different order of 
beings. 

117. Zeus divided the sovereignty with his two brothers, 
— Posei'don (Neptune) and Ha'des (Pluto). Dynasty of 
He retained for himself the ether and the at- ^^"^• 
mosphere, together with the general presiding function. 
Poseidon obtained the sea, while Hades ruled the world of 
shades. « These deities, with their sisters and divine progeny, 
comprehended the gods worshiped by the early Greeks. 
Twelve were especially called the great Olympian gods, 
being supposed to dwell on the heights of Mount Olympus 
and to form the divine ag'ora^ or council of the gods, which 
was held there. 

The student will here find the names and chief attributes of the Olym- 
pian divinities, together with the Latin names, by which they are more 
generally known 
I. Zeus, or Jupiter, the chief and father of the gods. He is always 

represented as seated on a throne with the thunderbolts in his right 

hand, and an eagle by his side. 



Il6 HISTORY OF GREECE. 

2. Po-sei'don, or Neptune, the earth-shaker and ruler of the sea : his 
symbol is a trident. 

3. A-pol'lon, or Apollo (called also Phoebus Apollo), the divinity of 
poetical inspiration, of song and music. He was figured as the beau 
/^m/of manly beauty. (Statue of Apollo Belvedere discovered in 1503.) 

4. Ar'te-mis, or Diana, the huntress among the immortals, the divin- 
ity of flocks and of the chase. As twin-sister of Apollo, she was the 
divinity of the moon. 

5. He-phais'tos, or Vulcan, the god of terrestrial fire : he is repre- 
sented as a blacksmith. 

6. Her'mes, or Mercury, the messenger of the gods ; the god of elo- 
quence, and the protector of trade : he is marked by his winged san- 
dals, and by his caduceus, or wand. 

7. A'res, or Mars, the god of war, delighted in the din of battle, the 
slaughter of men, and the destruction of towns. 

8. He'ra, or Juno, the wife of Jupiter, a beautiful but unamiable god- 
dess. 

9. A-the'na, or Minerva (also Pallas), the goddess of wisdom and war. 

10. Hes'tia, or Vesta, the goddess of the hearth. 

11. De-me'ter, or Ce'res, the goddess of agriculture. 

T2. Aph-ro-di'te, or Venus, the goddess of love and beauty, is gener- 
ally represented with her son E'ros, or Cupid. The legend runs that 
she rose from the sea-foam and landed on the island of Cyprus. The 
Odyssey represents her as the wife of Vulcan. Venus was of course 
a favorite subject with the Greek sculptors. The two finest remain- 
ing statues of this goddess are the Venus de Medici and the lovely 
but imperfect statue known as the Venus of Milo. 

118. Besides the twelve dii majores^ or greater gods of 
Other divini- Olympus, there was an indefinite number of 
**®^- others, some of whom were Httle inferior in 
power and dignity. Such were He'lios, or Sol (the Sun) ; Bac- 
chus, whom the Greeks called Diony^sos, to whom the goat- 
herds and vine-dressers paid especial honor ; the Muses ; 
the Nere'ides, or sea-nymphs ; the Graces, etc. There were 
also monsters, — the progeny of the gods, — as the Harpies, 
the Gorgons, Cer'berus, the Centaurs, the Dragon of the 
Hesper'ides, etc. 

119, By the Greeks all nature was imaged as moving 
and working through a number of personal agents ; and 



GRECIAN FESTIVALS. WJ 

though many of the legends concerning these personages 
appear to us silly, and some quite shocking, ^ 

, , A>. 1 1- • I General view 

yet the early Greek religion was, to say the of Greek re- 
least, composed of many beautiful and poetic *^*°"- 
conceptions. It was not until later that the Greeks adopted 
from Egypt, Asia Minor, and Thrace the grosser supersti- 
tions practiced in their orgies and Eleusinian mysteries. 

120. The popular worship of the gods consisted princi- 
pally in sacrifices, which were either offerings 

of prayer and thanksgiving, or sin-offerings : 
these were celebrated by the priests either in the open air, 
on the tops of mountains, in forests and groves, or in tem- 
ples, especially on the occasion of the celebration of the 
great national festivals. The offerings were either animals 
— sometimes single, sometimes in great numbers (heca- 
tombs) — or inanimate objects, as fruits, wine, honey, milk, 
frankincense, etc. Other modes of honoring the gods were 
by short forms of prayer uttered standing and with out- 
stretched arms, by votive offerings, solemn processions, and 
religious dances. 

121. The Greeks believed that they obtained revelations 
of the divine will from the oracles, of which ^ , 

Oracles. 

the most renowned were those of Zeus at Do- 
do'na, and of Apollo at Delphi. 



3. GRECIAN FESTIVALS. 

122. One of the most striking features of Grecian life 
were the congresses of the people of all the The four fes- 
states and colonies at the four great national *»vais. 
festivals, — the Olympic, Pyth'ian, Isth'mian, and Ne mean 
Games. The Olympic Festival v/as celebrated in honor of 
Jupiter in the plain of Olympia, in E'lis, every four years ; 
the Pythian was held in the third year of each Olj^mpiad, 
near Delphi, in honor of Apollo ; the Isthmian, in honor of 



Il8 HISTORY OF GREECE. 

Neptune, was so called from its being celebrated on the 
Isthmus of Corinth ; the Nemean, in honor of Nemean Ju- 
piter, at the town of Ne'mea in the Peloponnesus. 

123. The great feature of all these festivals were those 

" Games," or, as the Greeks called them, " Con- 

Their nature. ,, . , . , . 1 i , 1 

tests, in which prizes were awarded to the 
victors in athletic exercises, in foot and horse and chariot 
races, in music and poetry. The prizes were of no value 
by themselves, — a mere garland of olive, laurel, etc., placed 
on the victor's head. But this chaplet carried with it death- 
less fame. The name of the victor was proclaimed before 
assembled Hellas, his statue was erected in the sacred 
grove, and his praises were sung by poets. He returned 
in triumphal procession to his home, where distinguished 
honors and substantial rewards awaited him. 

124. These festivals lasted for several days, and drew 

together an immense multitude from all parts 
ciai and liter- of Grccce. They thus afforded the best pos- 
^'^^' sible means for commercial, social, and literary 

intercourse. " In the booths around the plain of Olympia, 
merchants exchanged the rude wares they had brought from 
the banks of the Tanais and the Rhone against the rich 
products of Asia and Africa ; the social and political condi- 
tion of the various states of the mother country, of her far- 
thest colonies, and of the barbarian nations around them, 
might be compared. Teachers of philosophy discussed 
the theories which sprang up in Athens and Italian Greece ; 
sculptors and painters took occasion to exhibit the finest 
productions of chisel and brush ; while poets and historians 
read aloud, in all their freshness, those immortal works which 
we only half admire for want of such a hearing. Such 
intercourse must have powerfully tended to maintain that 
intellectual sympathy v/hich, in the absence of any political 
union, was the strongest bond of nationality among the sons 
of Hellas." * 

* Philip Smith, History of the World. 



GREEK LITERATURE AND PHILOSOPHY. 1 19 



4. GREEK LITERATURE AND PHILOSOPHY. 

125. Leaving aside the Sacred Scriptures, the literature 
of Greece is incomparably the most valuable of comparison of 
all the literatures of antiquity. It is far richer, literatures, 
grander, and more original than that of Rome, — and in- 
deed the Latins were avowedly imitators of the Greeks. 
Of the literature of the Egyptians, Babylonians, and Phoeni- 
cians we have only fragments, and the scare far from show- 
ing a high tone of thought or sentiment. The ancient 
Persians have left us but one important work the Zend- 
Avesta, and this is rude and primitive in its structure. The 
great body of Hindoo writings (the Vedas, etc.) is, from its 
lack of form, curious rather than valuable. With the Greeks, 
for the first time, came noble intellectual conceptions em- 
bodied in forms of literary art. 

126. In Greek literature poetry precedes prose. The 
oldest Greek poems that remain to us are the ^^ 

1 • /• • \ 1 Homer. 

two immortal epics (1. e. narrative poems) that 
go by the name of Homer, — namely, the Iliad and the 
Odyssey. These are considered the finest epics ever writ- 
ten : they breathe the freshness and charm of the poetic 
springtime of the world. It is a noticeable fact that these 
earliest monuments of Grecian literature do not belong to 
continental but to colonial Hellas. It was in the Ionian 
and .^^olian cities on the coast of Asia Minor that the lit- 
erature of Greece originated ; for whether the Iliad and the 
Odyssey are to be looked on as the work of one individual 
or of many bards, scholars are agreed that they must be 
regarded as the composition of Asiatic Greeks. 

127. By the Greeks Homer was regarded as a real in- 
dividual ; Herod'otus places him four hundred Homer among 
years before himself, which would fix his pe- *^^ Greeks, 
riod at about 880 b. c. These poems were for centuries 
lodged only in the memory of bards, who sang or recited 



120 HISTORY OF GREECE. 

them to assembled companies and at festivals. They were 
not committed to writing till the period of Pisistratus at 
Athens (b. c. 560). 

On the subject of the authorship of the Homeric poems, read Chap- 
ter XXI. of Grote's Greece, Vol. II. The most celebrated English trans- 
lations of Homer are those of Chapman (time of Shakespeare), Pope and 
Cowper (last century), Lord Derby and our American poet, William 
Cullen Bryant. 

128. The next development of epic poetry was in Boeo'- 

tia, in the works of Hesiod, who is thought to 
have lived in the 8th century, that is, about a 
century after Homer. The two most famous books of He- 
siod are the Theogony and the Works and Days. These 
were looked up to by the Greeks as of great authority 
in theological and philosophical matters ; but they do not 
possess the same interest for us as the Homeric poems. 

129. The epic was the only kind of poetry during the 
Epic and kingly period. The epics usually related the 
elegy. exploits of the heroes of the mythical ages, 
and hence were very acceptable to princes who claimed 
descent from those heroes. When, however, regal rule gave 
place to democracy, poets arose who were stimulated to a 
freer expression of live feelings. The new style of poetry 
is called the Elegy, — but the word has a wider meaning 
than with us, and denoted all emotional poetry. One of the 
most famous writers of the elegy was Tyrtae'us (born in the 
latter part of the 8th century b. c). He is said to have 
been a lame schoolmaster at Athens, sent to Sparta in de- 
rision by the Athenians, to whom the Spartans had applied 
for a leader in the Messenian war : it is added that his 
stirring songs had a great influence on the campaign. 
Simon'ides of Ceos, who belongs to the 5th century, is also 
named as a writer of noble elegies. 

130. The next step in the progress of Greek poetical 



GREEK LITERATURE AND PHILOSOPHY. 121 

literature was the growth of lyric poetry. The chief feature 
of this style was its connection with music^ . 

J . Lyric poetry. 

vocal as well as instrumental. Lyric poems 
were sung, accompanied with music and often with the 
movements of the dance. The most famous names in 
Greek lyric poetry are Sappho, Alcae'us, Anac'reon, and Pin- 
lar. Sappho, who wrote in the 6th century b. c, was a Les- 
bian ; she sang of love, and Alcseus, who also was a Lesbian 
and her contemporary, calls her the " violet-crowned, pure, 
sweetly smiling Sappho." Pindar (born 522 b. c.) was a 
native of Bceotia ; he was the most celebrated of the Doric 
school of lyrists, and was thought by the Greeks the most 
sublime of their poets. 

131. The highest form of Greek literature, the drama, 
arose in Athens in the age of Pericles, 5th cen- 

^ 11 Drama. 

tury B. c. Tragedy attained its full develop- 
m.ent at the hands of ^s'chylus (born 525 b. c), Soph'ocles 
(born 495 b. c), and Eurip'ides (born 480 b. c). The fertil- 
ity and excellence of Greek dramatic poetry at the flood tide 
of national greatness were most remarkable. The festivals 
of Bacchus (Dionysos), celebrated at Athens every spring, 
were the principal occasions on which new pieces were 
brought out, and always in competition for the prize and 
under the direction of the chief magistrates. 

132. Greek tragedy as exhibited in the masterpieces of 
^schylus, Sophocles, and Euripides was very ^'If^PIJ'^jJ'" 
different from our drama, and especially from speare. 

the plays of Shakespeare. The Shakespearian tragedy deals 
with human life and passion ; Greek tragedy with the gods 
and mythical heroes. In regard to treatment, the Greek 
dramatist was bound to obey the rules of " unity of time and 
place " ; that is, the plot must be confined to one place and 
to an interval of time not much exceeding that which was 
occupied in the representation. All that could not be sup^ 
posed to happen in the presence of the chorus, and within 
6 



122 HISTORY OF GREECE. 

the compass of a few hours, had to be narrated., and 
could not be acted. Shakespeare wholly disregarded the 
limitations of time and space. Had such a subject as 
King Lear been treated by Sophocles, all that precedes 
the fifth act would have been narrated., and the fifth alone 
acted. 

133. Athenian comedy derived its origin from the revels 

and gibes of the comns, or Bacchic procession. 

Its greatest mastec was Aristoph'anes (born at 
Athens 444 b. c). Among the most famous of his comedies 
that have come down to us are The Clouds, The Wasps, The 
Birds, and The Frogs. They satirize Athenian society in a 
very pungent and amusing manner. 

134. We now turn to prose literature. In histor}^ the 

first great name is that of Herodotus, called 

Herodotus. , ,,^ . . ^_.. ,, tt x • 

the "Father of History. He was an Ionian 
Greek of Halicarnas'sus in Asia Minor, and was born in 
484 B. c, between the first and second Persian wars. The 
subject chosen by Herodotus was the History of the Per- 
sian Wars ; but it took a wider scope, and was really a sort 
of universal history up to his time. He had traveled exten- 
sively in Egypt and in Asia, and presents us with a vivid and 
most interesting picture of society and life among the na- 
tions of antiquity at his time. The st^'le of Herodotus is 
that of a charming story-teller, and his work is still read 
with pleasure. 

Many translations of Herodotus have been made. The best is that 
of Rawlinson, in four volumes. The notes and essays appended to the 
text of Herodotus in this admirable work contain the results of the latest 
scholarship regarding the history of each country treated. 

135. The most philosophic historian produced by Greece 

is Thucyd'ides (born at Athens 471 b. c). 

Thucydides. ■'. ^ , _, ,. , , 

I he subject chosen by Ihucydides was the 
Peloponnesian War. His history is distinguished for the 



^i 



GREEK LITERATURE AND PHILOSOPHY. I 23 

loftiness of its style, and for the profound insight it dis- 
plays into the actions and motives of men. It is the ear- 
liest example of the philosophy of history, and as such it is 
what Thucychdes himself proudly called it, a " possession 
forever." 

136. Among other historians may be named Xenophon, 
a contemporary of Thucydides, distinguished other histo- 
for his easy and graceful style of narrative ; Po- ''*^"^- 
lyb'ius, who belongs to the 2d century b. c. ; and Diodo'rus, 
who belongs to the i st century. Plutarch, whose Lives has 
been called the " Bible of heroisms," * lived in the 2d cen- 
tury A. D. 

137. In connection with prose literature should be men- 
tioned eloquence, or oratory. It was first cul- q^^^^^. 
tivated as an art at Athens during the great 

period of the democracy. Pericles himself was master of a 
style of oratory so sublime as to gain for him the epithet of 
" the Olympian." Political oratory was exhibited in its 
fullest development in the contest between ^Es'chines (393 - 
317 B. c), the advocate of Macedonian interests, and his 
greater adversary Demosthenes (385-332 B.C.), who, in 
exposing and opposing the plans of Philip, 

" shook the arsenal 
And fulmined over Greece." 

138. Philosophy was first cultivated in the Grecian col- 
onies of Asia Minor and Lower Italy : in the Early phiios- 
former by Thames, who lived in the 6th century, °phers. 

and was the founder of the Ionic school ; in the latter by 
Pythag'oras, who belonged to the same century-, and was the 
head of the Pythagore'an school. Thales, Pythagoras, and 
the other early sages of Greece chiefly occupied themselves 
with natural philosophy ; but in the 5th century they were 
succeeded by the Sophists and Rhetors, who taught the arts 

* R. W. Emerson. 



124 



HISTORY OF GREECE. 



of dialectics and rhetoric, and were the paid instructors of 
the Athenian youth. 

139. Soc'rates, one of the wisest and greatest of the hu- 
Socrates "^^'^ ^^^^' bclougs to the cpoch immediately 

succeeding the age of Pericles (469 - 399 b. c). 
He did not teach any positive system of philosophy ; his 
special work was to break down prejudices, to show people 
their ignorance, to expose fallacies, and to assert the exist- 
ence of great necessary truths, — of the good, the true, and 

the beautiful, 
— and this he 
did by a meth- 
od of search- 




mg mquiry 

called, after 

him, the So- 

cratic. He 

Socrates. Plato. ^aS Ungainly 

of person and ascetic in his habits ; he taught without pay 
in the porticoes, the market-place, and the street, addressing 
all who chose to listen, in a homely but most pointed and 
telling style. Notwithstanding his pure and noble life, and 
his efforts to promote the welfare of mankind, his doctrines 
made him many enemies : he was charged before the Athe- 
nian magistrates with not believing in the gods, and with 
being a corruptor of youth. Being condemned on these 
charges, he was sentenced to drink a cup of hemlock. He 
met his death calmly, surrounded by his beloved and weep- 
ing disciples, to whom in his last hours he discoursed on 
the Immortality of the Soul. 

140. Plato (429-347 B. c), one of the disciples of Soc- 
rates, was the founder of the Academic 
school, so called from the groves of Acade'mus, 
near Athens, where the philosopher gave his lectures. The 
works of Plato remain in the form of his Dialogues. In these 



Plato. 



GRECIAN ART. I 25 



Socrates is represented as the principal speaker ; but the 
philosophy of Plato was really his own. It is distinguished 
for its lofty ideal character. The Platonic doctrines have 
had a powerful influence on the human mind, and are the 
high-water mark of spirituality in the ancient world. 

141. Aristot'le (384-322 b. c), the founder of the Peri- 
patetic school (at the Lyceum at Athens), was 
the most logical and systematic of the philoso- 
phers and scientists of Greece. He first gave form to what 
is called the deductive system of reasoning. His philosophy- 
predominated over the minds of men for two thousand 
years, — lasting, in fact, until it was displaced by the Induc- 
iive system, with which the name of Bacon is associated. 
Induction arrives at truth by reasoning up from facts to 
general laws ; deduction begins with abstract principles and 
seeks to arrive at truth by reasoning downwards, 'as in ge- 
ometry. Aristotle was the teacher of Alexander the Great. 



5. GRECIAN ART. 

142. The four fine arts are architecture, sculpture, paint- 
ing, and music. The artistic instincts of the Forms of 
Greeks expressed themselves in the first two ^^^^'^ ^■"t- 
forms (for painting and music belong properly to the Mid- 
dle Ages and to Christianity) ; and in these a degree of per- 
fection was attained that was never before seen and that 
has never since been surpassed. 

143. The most important architectural works of Greece 
are the temples of the gods : in these we find 

the development of the Grecian column in the 
three classic forms, — the Doric, the Ionic, and the Cor- 
inthian. It is probable that all the principal cities of 
Greece had temples commensurate with their dignity before 
the Persian wars ; but many were destroyed during that 
struggle, and in the grand period of national life that 



126 



HISTORY OF GREECE. 



followed the contest with Persia the people pulled down 
and rebuilt the old structures in a more magnificent st}'le. 
The consequence is that nearly all the great temples now 
found in Greece were built in the forty or fifty years which 
succeeded the defeat of the Persians at Salamis. 






Doric. Ionic Corinthian. 

Three Orders of Greek Architecture. 

144. The graceful Ionic order of architecture had its 

origin in the Greek cities of Ionia in Asia 
Minor. The most celebrated example of this 
order was the temple of Diana at Ephesus, burnt on the 
blrthnight of Alexander the Great (b. c. 356) by Heros'tratus, 
and rebuilt in still more splendid style in the Roman age. 
This temple was 425 feet long by 220 feet wide. Its whole 
foundation has been laid bare by English explorations. 

145. The Corinthian was the highest and most richly 
ornamented of the Grecian orders. The an- 
cients employed it in temples dedicated to 

Venus, Flora, and the nymphs of fountains, because the 
flowers and foliaire with which it is adorned seemed well 



Corinthian. 



GRECIAN ART. 12/ 



adapted to the delicacy and elegance of such deities. It 
dates from the latter part of the 5th century b. c. 

146. The most famous of the Doric temples of Greece is 
the Parthenon, — the " House of the Virgin," 

, ,. , » 1 /-»,r- N • 1 -1 r Parthenon. 

dedicated to Athena (Mnierva) : it was built of 
pure white marble, and crowned the Acropolis at Athens. 
Of this structure a great authority says : " In its own class 
it is undoubtedly the most beautiful building in the world. 
It is true it has neither the dimensions nor the wondrous 
expression of power and eternity inherent in Egyptian tem- 
ples, nor has it the variety and poetry of the Gothic cathe- 
dral ; but for intellectual beauty, for perfection of proportion, 
for beauty of detail, and for the exquisite perception of the 
highest and most recondite principles of art ever applied to 
architecture, it stands utterly and entirely alone and unri- 
valed, — the glory of Greece, and the shame of the rest of 
the world."* 

147. It is acknowledged that in sculpture the Greeks 
attained absolute perfection. The finest speci- 

r y-i • 1 1 . Sculpture. 

mens of Grecian sculpture that remain to us 
are the figures that adorned the pediments and friezes of 
the Parthenon. Most of these were taken by Lord Elgin 
from Athens to England, and are now in the British Mu- 
seum. Many of the figures are, unfortunately, in a mutilat- 
ed state, but they nevertheless embody the very perfection 
of loveliness, majesty, and power. These works were ex- 
ecuted by a school of artists under the direction of the illus- 
trious Phid'ias, who belonged to the grand period following 
the Persian wars. This was the heroic age of Grecian sculp- 
ture : later artists produced forms that the uninstructed re- 
gard as more beautiful^ but they lack the perfect purity 
and repose of these immortal works. 



* Ferguson's History of Architecture, Vol. I. p. 221. See cut of the 
Parthenon, p. 73 of the present book. 



128 HISTORY OF GREECE. 



6. GREEK LIFE, MANNERS, ETC. 

148. The mode of life and the manners and customs of 
the Greeks, as gleaned from their writings and the relics 

they have left us, form a deeply interesting 
subject, — which, however, can merely be 
touched on here. 

149. The dress of the Greeks was simple, without un- 

necessarv coverino^s or useless display of orna- 

Dress. .. Js v j 

ments. Between the sexes there was little 
difference of attire. The garments were commonly of wool, 
linen, and later of cotton. The women wore no head-cov- 
erings ; all the men, too, were hatless, except travelers and 
certain kinds of workmen. In-doors the Greeks used no 
foot-covering ; abroad they wore sandals, shoes, sometimes 
boots. 

150. The Greeks ate three daily meals, reclining on 

couches, and usino: neither table-cloth nor nap- 

Meals. 

kins. In primitive fashion, they used their fin- 
gers for knives and forks ; but spoons were common. They 
washed the hands (no wonder !) before and after meals. 
Among the common people dried fish and barley bread, with 
dates, were the staple food. Among the well-to-do all sorts 
of luxuries were of course indulged in. After dinner came 
the sy7?i/>osium, when host and guests drained goblets of 
wine mixed with hot or cold water, being governed by 
the " master of the feast," who was chosen by lot. This 
drinking-bout was enlivened by varied conversation, music, 
dancing, and all sorts of games and amusements. 

151. Though the state did not support schools, yet daily 

school-going was quite general ; the boys 

alone went to school, however. The whole 

education of a Greek youth was divided into three parts, — 

grammar, music, and gymnastics. The schoolmaster was 

called t\\Qgra7?imatis'tes, or grammarian ; but with the Greeks 



GREEK LIFE, MANNERS, ETC. 1 29 

" grammar " included most of the rudimentary branches of 
education, while under the term " music " came all intel- 
lectual accomplishments. The gymnasium, where the body 
was rendered supple and strong by wrestling, running, box- 
ing, and kindred pursuits, was part and parcel of Greek 
education, and was much frequented both for pastime and 
exercise. There the contestants trained for the celebrated 
Olympic Games. 

152. Women seem in the Homeric age to have held a 
higher position in the household than in later Position of 
times. In the historic period, the husband woman, 
treated his wife as a faithful slave, " something better than 
his dog, a little dearer than his horse." The principle on 
which the education of women rested was, that just so much 
mental culture was expedient for women as would enable 
them to manage the household, provide for the bodily wants 
of the children, and overlook the female slaves. Secluded 
in the gyneca'um^ or female apartment, both before and 
after marriage, they led a secluded and narrow life ; so that 
we must think of Greek society as destitute of the refining 
and ennobling influence of cultured mothers, sisters, and 
wives ; and this fact resulted in some distinctly traceable 
defects in the products of Grecian genius. We shall here- 
after see that it is to Christianity that we are indebted for 
the elevation of woman to her true place in society. 



i3o 



HISTORY OF ROME. 



SECTION III. 
HISTORY OF ROME 



General view. 



CHAPTER I. 
GEOGRAPHY AND RACES. 

1. The history of the Romans, the last and greatest 
people of antiquity, is now to engage our at- 
tention. We shall see how this people comes 

first to notice as a village community in the 8th century 
B. c, — how it develops into a vigorous republic and sub- 
dues all the other races of 
the peninsula, — how it push- 
es its conquests beyond the 
bounds of Italy, — and how, 
finally, about the time of the 
birth of Christ, it stands forth 
a great imperial and world- 
ruling power. It is a won- 
derful and most instructive 
story. 

2. Italy is the central one of the three great peninsulas 
Geographical which projcct from the South of Europe into 
features. ^^ Mediterranean Sea. It has an extreme 
length of 700 miles, is bounded on the north by the chain 
of the Alps, and is surrounded on other sides by the sea. 
It may be divided into two parts, — the northern consisting 
of the great plain drained by the river Padus, or Po^ with 
its tributaries, and the southern being a long tongue of 
land with the Apennines as a backbone traversing it from 




GEOGRAPHY AND RACES. 



131 



north to south. It should be noticed, however, that, till 

the time of the Empire, 
the Romans never in- 
cluded the plain of the 
Po in Italy. To this sec- 
tion they gave the name 
of Gallia Cisalpi'na^ or 
Gaul on this (the Roman) 
side of the Alps. Both 
the northern 
and southern 
sections of It- 
aly comprised 
many distinct 
territorial di- 
visions, the 
names of which 
will best be 
learned from 
the map. 

3. Italy was inhabited, at the earliest period to which our 
knowledge carries us back, by four principal 

races, the Gauls, Etruscans, lapyg'ians, and 

Italians proper ; but the first three are of minor importance 

compared with the fourth, the Italians proper. 

4. The Gauls inhabited the greater part of Northern 
Italy (Gallia Cisalpina) ; they were a branch pirst three 

of the same race that inhabited Gaul to the '"^'^^s- 
north of the Alps (France), and hence were Aryans. The 
Etruscans inhabited Etruria, a district between the Arno 
and the Tiber. Their origin is involved in great obscurity, 
but it is believed that this people belonged to the Aryan 
stock. Certain it is that, long before Rome appears as a 
village on the Tiber, the Etruscans had developed a pe- 
cuHar civilization : they were great builders, and skilled in 




132 HISTORY OF ROME. 

many of the arts ; they dehghted in auguries, and had a 
strange and gloomy religion. In Apulia and the heel of 
Italy dwelt the lapygians : this people seems to have been 
a primitive race, quite distinct from the Italians proper. 
In addition to these races, we should also notice the 
Greeks in Italy, for this people had early planted so many 
colonies on the southern coast that they gave to that dis- 
trict the name of Magna Grcecia^ or Great Greece. 

5. The fourth of the races of Italy is the one with which 
Italians ^^ ^^^^^ ^^ mainly concerned in Roman his- 
tory. This is the Italian race proper, which 

occupied almost the whole of Central Italy. It was origi- 
nally a pure Aryan stock, nearly related to the Hellenic 
race, — a kinship which is strikingly attested by the agree- 
ment of Greek and Latin in many words that relate to 
agriculture and the primitive facts and phases of life. 

6. The Italians proper were divided into two branches, 
the Latins and the Umbro-Sabcllians^ the latter 
including various tribes : — 

L Latins, 

T 1 TT u C Umbrians, 

Italians. < Umbro- \ ^ 1 • 

\ c -u ^^' \ oabines, 

/ Sabellians. i 

V V. Samnites, etc. 

Now it is with the first branch that we shall be specially 
concerned in the beginnings of Roman history, — namely, 
with the Latin branch of the Italian race ; for it was by 
men of this stock that were laid the foundations of the 
mighty Roman state. 

7. The seat of the Latins was Latium, a small district 
Seat of the on the wcstcm coast of Central Italy, between 
Latins. ^j^g Tiber and the Liris. Its limits are repre- 
sented in the map on the opposite page. 



Italians. 



PRIMEVAL ROME. 



133 



CHAPTER II. 
PRIMEVAL ROME. — PERIOD OF THE KINGS. 



8. The early history of Rome is given in an unbroken 
narrative by the Roman writers, who detail Legends of 
the marvels of Rome's descent from wide- ^^""^^ Rome, 
famed Troy, the landing of ^ne'as in Latium, the love of 
the god Mars for the 




vestal Rhea, her bear- 
ing twins by the god, 
their exposure in the 
Tiber, their being saved 
and suckled by a she- 
wolf and fed by a wood- 
pecker till found by the 
shepherd Faus'tulus, 
their finally restoring 
their grandfather to the 
throne of Alba Longa, 
and then their collect- 
ing their fellow-shep- 
herds and founding 
a town named Rome 
(from Romulus, the el- 
der of the twins), on the 
hill where they had been miraculously saved and educated. 
9. These romantic legends were received by the Romans 
themselves with unquestioning simplicity ; but criticism on 
they can no longer be regarded as a narrative t^^^^- 
of real events. The records of the early days of Rome are 
known to have been destroyed when the city was burned by 
the Gauls (b. c. 390) ; and Livy, the earliest writer on 



DOMINION 

Primeval 

SCALE OF M rLES 



134 HISTORY OF ROME. 

Roman affairs whose works have come clown to us, wrote 
about 750 years after the foundation of the city. 

10. At a very early period the Latins in the district of 

Latium formed a confederacy of thirty cities, 

Real begin- , , 1 r 1 • 1 r • r . ,, 

nings of at the head of which was the city of Alba 

°™^' Longa. Now it is believed that Rome was 

founded by a colony that went out from Alba Longa with 
the view of establishing there an outpost of defense against 
the Sabines and Etruscans, whose territory adjoined Latium 
at that point. And, indeed, according to modern scholars, 
the very name Roma^ in place of having any relation to the 
fabled " Romulus," means a march, or border. 

11. The founding of Rome is placed in the year 753 b. c. 
Earliest his- And, Setting aside the impossible fables of the 
^^'■y- Roman historians, we may say there is good 
reason to believe that as early as the middle of the 8th 
century before the Christian era there stood on a height 
on the Tiber, called the Palatine Mount, a little village 
named Roma, the center of a small township, consisting 
probably of 5000 or 6000 inhabitants, all of them husband- 
men or shepherds. A chain of events which history can- 
not now trace, but which is indicated in a poetic manner 
by a number of early Roman legends, led to the incorpora- 
tion of Rome w^ith two neighboring towns, — a small Etrus- 
can settlement on the Caelian Hill, supposed to have been 
called Lu'cerum, another a Sabine village on the Quirinal 
Hill, called Quirium. The Sabines were received on a foot- 
ing of equality, but the Etruscans on a subordinate footing. 
The settlement thus consisted of three tribes, — the Ra nines, 
or Romans, the Titles, or Sabines of Quirium, and the Lu- 
ceres, or Etruscans of Lucerum. 

12. Tradition hands down the names of seven kings 

who ruled Rome during the regal period (753- 
509 B.C.); but great obscurity hangs around 
the greater part of this epoch. 



PRIMEVAL ROME. 1 35 

13. The Roman citizens were from the earliest times 
divided into two classes, — Patricians and Pie- organization 
beians, a distinction of great importance in °^ society. 
Roman history. To the Patricians belonged all magisterial 
offices, all the higher degrees of the priesthood, the owner- 
ship of the public lands, and the privilege of using a family 
name. In fact, during the early ages the Patricians alone 
constituted the Populus, or people, in a political sense ; 
for not only was the senate chosen from their ranks, but 
the sole popular assembly was the assembly of Patricians, 
called the Comi'tia Curia'ta. The Plebeians at this time, 
though freemen and personally independent, were wholly 
destitute of political importance. 

14. During the reign of the fifth king of Rome, Ser'vius 
Tullius, called the " King of the Commons," an change of 
important change was made in the constitution constitution, 
of the Roman state. Servius gave the Plebeians a share in 
the government by establishing a new national assembly 
called the Comitia Ceiiluria'ta^ or Assembly of the Hundreds, 
in which both Plebeians and Patricians voted alike. It 
was so arranged that in the new national assembly the old 
families and the wealthy class should have most voice. 
However, notwithstanding these restrictions, the new con- 
stitution was a great concession to the people, as it virtu- 
ally admitted every free individual within the Roman ter- 
ritory to a share in the government. 

15. An attempt on the part of the seventh and last king, 
Tarquin'ius Super'bus, to undo these reforms End of the 
and to establish what the ancients called a *''"^^- 
tyranny, led to the expulsion of him and his family, and to 
the abolition of the kingly form of government at Rome, 
509 B. c. Ever after this the Romans hated the very name 
of km%. 



136 HISTORY OF ROME. 

CHAPTER III. 
THE ROMAN REPUBLIC. 

1. EPOCH OF THE STRUGGLE FOR EXISTENCE (509-390 B. C). 

16. The history of Rome as a republic covers a period 
Extent of his- of 4^2 years, — from the termination of kingly 
*°^y- rule, 509 B. c, to the termination of republican 
rule by the establishment of the empire under Augustus, 
27 B. c. 

17. This period naturally divides itself into four Epochs. 
Its four I- Epoch of the Struggle for Existence, be- 
epochs. ginning with the establishment of the repub- 
lic and ending with the Gaulish invasion of Italy, 509-390 
B. c. 

II. Epoch of the Roman Conquest of Italy, from the Gaul- 
ish invasion to the complete subjugation of the peninsula, 
after the repulse of Pyrrhus, 390-266 B. c. 

HI. Epoch of Foreign Conquest, including the Punic and 
Macedonian wars down to the beginning of civil strife un- 
der the Gracchi, 266- 133 b. c. 

IV. Epoch of Civil Strife, from the Gracchi to the estab- 
lishment of the Empire under Augustus, 133-27 b. c. 

18. When, at the close of the 6th century (509 b. c), 
Nature of the Romc ccascd to bc uudcr kingly rule, it be- 
government. came a republic. Instead of a king, two mag- 
istrates called Consuls were elected every year. In other 
respects the constitution remained as before. The first 
consuls were Brutus and Collati'nus. 

19. Rome had attained a high degree of power under 
Territory un- her kings. By a treaty made in the second 
der the kings, yg^j- ^f ^-^g republic with the Carthaginians 
(508 B. c), a treaty which has fortunately been preserved, it 



THE STRUGGLE FOR EXISTENCE. 1 37 



appears that she was mistress of the whole coast from Ostia 
to Terracina, and traded with Sicily, Sardinia, and Africa. 

20. The state of things under the republic was for a 
long time much less fortunate. The Romans wars of the 
became engaged in contests with their neigh- '■ep^^^ic. 
bors, and soon after the change of government they lost a 
considerable part of their dominion. There were : i. Wars 
with the Etruscans ; 2. Wars with the Sabines, Volscians, 
and ^quians ; 3. Wars with the ^quians and Volscians ; 
4. Wars with the ^quians and Veientines ; till finally, after 
over a century of strife, Rome was overwhelmed by the 
Gauls, 390 B. c. It is needless to enter into any account 
of these contests, and the more so, that almost the whole 
history of this epoch is of a legendary character. 

21. Leaving aside the details, however, we can readily 
see that this century or more of desperate character of 
struggle for existence was in many respects a *^^ penod. 
great era, and behind the veil of legend we plainly descry 
grand human figures, — the figures of those stern old pa- 
triots who gave to the name Roman its lofty significance. 
The old Roman character was indeed a //^r// xharacter, — 
it was stern, unfeeling, in many respects cruel ; for we must 
remember that Christianity had not yet come to humanize 
men by the consciousness of universal brotherhood. But 
at the same time it had some noble virtues ; it was of 
heroic mold, and, for the work then required, was doubt- 
less just what was needed. Below will be found brief 
sketches of a few of the great men of the first epoch. 

GREAT NAMES OF EARLY ROME. 

Brutus (Lucius Junius), known as the " Elder Brutus," was one of 
the first two consuls. During his term of ofifice the Roman state was 
threatened both from without and within. The exiled king, Tarquin, 
had retired to Etruria, where he began to intrigue for a return to 
Rome. In this he was aided by a conspiracy of a number of the 



138 HISTORY OF ROME. 

young nobility, and among the conspirators were found the two sons 
of Brutus himself. The plot being discovered, the consul would not 
pardon his guilty children, and ordered the lictors* to put them to 
death with the other traitors, — a memorable example of inflexible 
justice. Soon after, the Etruscans espoused the cause of Tarquin and 
marched against Rome. When Aruns, a son of Tarquin, saw Brutus 
at the head of the Roman cavalry, he spurred his horse to the charge, 
and both fell from their horses mortally wounded. 
Horatius (Codes) is celebrated for his heroic "defense of the bridge." 
The circumstances are these. Porsena, lars or lord of Clusium in 
Etruria, had taken up the cause of the exiled Tarquin, and in 508 B. C. 
advanced with a large army to the Mount Janiculum, just across the 
Tiber from Rome. That city was now in the greatest danger, and the 
Etruscans could have entered it by the Sublician bridge, had not 
Horatius Codes, with two comrades, kept the whole Etruscan army 
at bay while the Romans broke down the bridge behind him. When 
it was giving way he sent back his two companions, and withstood 
alone the attacks of the foes till the cracking of the falling timbers told 
him that the bridge was destroyed. Then praying, " O Father Tiber, 
take me into thy charge and bear me up ! " he plunged into the stream 
and swam across in safety amid the arrows of the enemy. The state 
raised a statue in his honor, and allowed him as much land as he 
could plow round in one day. Few legends are more celebrated in 
Roman history than this gallant deed of Horatius, and Roman writers 

loved to tell 

" How well Horatius kept the bridge 
In the brave days of old." 

Coriolanus (488 b. c). Caius Marcius, surnamed Coriolanus, from 
his valor at the capture of the Latin town of Corioli. was a brave but 
haughty Patrician. He was hated by the Plebeians, who refused him 
the consulship. This inflamed him with anger, and accordingly when 
the city was suffering from famine, and a present of corn came from 
Sicily, Coriolanus advised the senate not to distribute it among the 
Plebeians, unless they gave up their tribunes. Such insolence enraged 
the Plebeians, who would have torn him to pieces on the spot had not 
the tribunes summoned him before the Comitia of the Tribes. Corio- 
lanus himself breathed nothing but defiance ; and his kinsmen and 
friends interceded for him in vain. He was condemned to exile. Ac- 
cordingly he went over to the Volscians, the enemies of his country- 

* The Lictors were public officers who attended upon the Roman magistrate. 
Each consul had twelve lictors. They carried upon their %\\ow\d.&x% fasces., which were 
rods bound In the form of a bundle, and containing an ax in the middle. 



THE STRUGGLE FOR EXISTENCE. 1 39 



men and offered to head them against Rome. The king of the 
Volscians persuaded his people to appoint Coriolanus their general. 
Nothing could check his victorious progress : town after town fell 
before him ; "and he advanced within five miles of the city, ravaging 
the lands of the Plebeians, but sparing those of the Patricians. The 
city was filled with despair. The ten head men in the senate were 
sent in hopes of moving his compassion ; but they were received with 
the utmost sternness, and told the city must submit to his absolute 
will. Next day the pontiffs, augurs, flamens, and all the priests came 
in their robes of ofiice and in vain prayed him to spare the city. All 
seemed lost, but Rome was saved by her women. Next morning the 
noblest matrons, headed by Veturia, the aged mother of Coriolanus, 
and by his wife Volumnia, holding her little children by the hand, 
came to his tent. Their lamentations turned him from his purpose. 
'* Mother," he said, bursting into tears, " thou hast saved Rome, but 
lost thy son ! " He then led the Volscians home. Some say that he 
was put to death by the Volscians ; but others, that he lived among 
them to a great age, and was often heard to say that " none but an old 
man can feel how wretched it is to live in a foreign land." * 
Cincinnatus (Lucius Quintius, 458 b. c.) was one of the heroes of 
old Roman story, with whose name is connected a well-known spirit- 
stirring legend. He was a noble, but had retired from popular tumult 
to his farm. On one occasion the ^^quians, who were bitter foes of 
the Romans, had surrounded a Roman camp on the Alban hills. In 
this emergency it became necessary to appoint a dictator,! and the 
senate chose Cincinnatus. The delegates who were sent to announce 
this to him, found the noble Roman engaged in plowing his own fields, 
clad only in his tunic, or shirt. They bade him clothe himself that he 
might hear the commands of the senate. He put on his toga, which 
his wife brought him. They then told him of the peril of the Roman 
army, and that he had been made dictator. Next morning before day- 
break he appeared in the Forum and levied a new army; he then 
marched against the enemy, and succeeded in hemming in the y^qui- 
ans, who were blockading the Romans He forced them to surrender, 
and made them pass under the yoke. J Cincinnatus entered Rome 

* See Shakespeare's drama of Coriolanus. 

t The Dictator was an extraordinary magistrate appointed in seasons of great peril. 
He possessed absolute power for six months, unless he sooner gave it up ; and from the 
time of the appointment of the dictator all the other magistrates, even the consuls, 
ceased to exercise any power. The first dictator was Titus Lartius, appointed in the 
year 49S b. c. 

X Sub j'ligum {jugum, a yoke), the origin of our word subjugate. The yoke was 
formed by two spears fixed upright in the ground, while a third was fastened across them. 



I40 HISTORY OF ROME. 



in triumph only twenty-four hours after he had quitted it, and volun- 
tarily laid down his dictatorial power after holding it but fourteen days, 
and returned to his farm. 

22. In addition to troubles from without, the young re- 

public had to meet internal difficulties ; for a 

Social troubles. ^- -ui^ j-^i. 

quarter of a century had not passed since the 
expulsion of the kings, before a struggle of classes arose, — 
a struggle between the Patricians and the Plebeians, the first 
of a long series of social contests that constitute the most 
important portion of the annals of the early commonwealth. 

23. It appears that the Patricians had found an ingen- 
Oppression of i^^s way of Crippling the Plebeians by means of 
the piebs. ^^ operation of the Roman law of debt. In 
primitive Rome, as in other ancient states, an insolvent 
debtor was liable to be seized by his creditor, and kept in 
chains or made to work as his slave. Now such had been 
the distress caused by the wars ever since the establishment 
of the republic, that multitudes of the Plebeians had been 
obliged to become debtors to the Patricians, who were the 
exclusive proprietors of the state lands. Hundreds had in 
consequence fallen into a condition of slavery ; so that the 
Plebs were thoroughly disheartened, and the Patricians 
practically possessed all power. 

24. When this state of things became unbearable, the 

Plebeians resolved upon quitting Rome and 
building beyond the Roman territory a new 
town on the Moiis Sacer (Sacred Mountain), about four miles 
from the city, 493 b. c. Thither accordingly they seceded ; 
but after considerable negotiation a compromise was made : 
debtors were relieved and slaves for debt Avere set free. 

25. At the same time a still more important change 
was made, — two magistrates, chosen from the Plebeians, 
Office of ^nd called Tribunes of the Plebs, were ap- 
tribune. pointed. These afterwards became ten in 
number. They held office for a year, during which time 



THE STRUGGLE FOR EXISTENCE. 141 

their persons were sacred, and they could nulHfy any de- 
cree of the senate that they thought injurious to the Com- 
mons by the word Veto, I forbid it. No one could have 
foreseen how important this office would become. 

26. The Plebeians had gained an important step in the 
appointment of the tribunes. But there were Laws of the 
still many grievances under which they suf- Twelve Tables, 
fered. And one of the most oppressive was that no regular 
code of laws existed. After many stormy debates it was at 
last decided (450 b. c.) that a Council of Ten, called from 
their number Decemvirs, should be appointed to make a 
code of laws, and it was agreed that in the mean time all the 
officers of the government (consuls, tribunes, etc.,) should 
give up their places, and let the decemvirs control the state. 
The decemvirs appointed for the first year did their work 
well : they embodied the laws of Rome in written form, in 
the famous code of the Twelve Tables. 

27. On the expiration of their year's office, all parties 
were so well pleased that it was resolved to conduct of the 
continue the same form of government for decemvirs, 
another year. But the new decemvirate acted very tyranni- 
cally, and when their time came to an end they continued to 
hold their power in defiance of the senate and of the people. 
Matters soon fell into so bad a state that the Plebeians se- 
ceded once more, retiring to the Sacred Mount. 

28. This second secession extorted from the Patricians 
the second great charter of Plebeian rights. It what was 
was agreed that the tribunes should be re- &^i"ed. 
stored, and that the authority of the assembly of the tribes 
{Co?nitia Tnbiita) should be put on a level with that of the 
Centuries. Two consuls were elected in place of the de- 
cemvirs, 446 B. c. 

29. The Plebeians were, however, still justly dissatisfied ; 
the choice of the chief executive, namely, the Dispute about 
consuls, was made exclusively from the Patri- consuls. 



142 HISTORY OF ROME. 

cians. The Commons now began to claim a share in the 
consulate. This demand was resisted by the Patricians 
with their whole strength ; and when at last the Plebeians 
prevented the raising of levies for military service, the 
Patricians declared that they would rather have no more 
consuls than agree to the admission of the Plebeians to the 
office. 

30. At length the Patricians proposed (444 b. c.) that a 

certain number (first three, afterwards six) of 
Military Tribunes^ who might be chosen equally 
from Patricians and Plebeians, should exercise supreme 
power. In the following year two new magistrates called 
Censors were appointed ; and as these were chosen exclu- 
sively from among the Patricians, it gave that order consid- 
erable additional weight, especially as the censors held the 
power of determining the rank of every citizen, of fixing his 
status in society, and valuing his taxable property. More- 
over, though in theory the military tribunes could be elected 
from either order, yet in fact^ such was the ascendency of 
the Patricians that usually only men of their own class were 
chosen ; and it was not till 400 b. c, or about forty years 
after the remodeling of the government, that Plebeians 
were freely elected. 

31. It was at this time that the progress of Rome re- 
Gauiish inva- ccivcd a great check by an invasion of the 
^^°"- Gauls, who, under the leadership of Brennus, 
pressed southward, overran Etruria, and having defeated the 
Romans on the Allia, captured the city, and burnt almost 
the whole of it, except the Capitol, 390 b. c. The Capitol 
held out for seven months, until the Gauls, tired of the 
siege, agreed to go on receipt of a thousand pounds of gold. 
It is recorded that Brennus increased the stipulated amount 
by the weight of his sword, which he cast into the scale. 
Many stories told by the Roman historians, respecting the 
Gaulish capture of Rome, are plainly fictions ; but of the 
fact itself there can be no doubt. 



ROMAN CONQUEST OF ITALY. I43 



2. EPOCH OF THE ROMAN CONQUEST OF ITALY (390-266 B.C.). 

32. Scarcely had Rome been rebuilt with narrow and 
crooked streets and small dwelling-houses, Plebeian op- 
when the Patricians again asserted the whole pression. 

of their claims, and in particular revived the ancient laws 
of debtor and creditor in all their severity. The Gallic 
invasions left the Plebeians in a state of great poverty 
and distress, and now the severe measures of the Patricians 
threatened to reduce the whole common people to a state 
of practical slavery. The contest came to a crisis in 376 
B. c. 

33. At this time two bold and able tribunes of the people, 
Licinius Stolo and Lucius Sextius, came forward Proposals for 
with a plan to settle all the difficulties. They reform. 

said there were two evils to be remedied: i. Political in- 
equality ; 2. Material want. The new plan met the first evil 
by restoring the consuls as the chief magistrates, and ap- 
pointing that one of the two consuls annually chosen should 
always be a Plebeian. The second evil, namely, the poverty 
of the Plebeians, the new plan proposed to mitigate by pro- 
viding, first, that the interest already paid on debts should 
be deducted from the capital, and the residue paid in three 
years ; secondly, that of the public lands, hitherto practical- 
ly monopolized by the rich, no man should hold more than 
500 jiigera* while the remainder should be distributed in 
small portions among the Plebeians as their own property. 

34. This new plan of a constitution, known as the 
Licinimi Rogations., was resisted to the utmost victory of the 
by the Patricians ; but all their efforts proved p'^^^- 
unavailing against the firmness of the tribunes, who pre- 
vented the election of officers and military levies. The 
plan became a law in 367 b. c, and the following year a 

* K jugeriim was rather more than half an acre. 



144 HISTORY OF ROME. 

Plebeian consul, Lucius Sextius, was elected. All the other 
offices, dictatorship, censorship, praetorship, etc., were soon 
thrown open to the Commons, — so that at last, after the 
long struggle, perfect political equality was established. 

35. For a century and a half since the expulsion of the 

kin^s, Rome had been a republic, but an 

Democracy. . . ... . ^ , 

aristocratic republic : it was now truly a 
government of the people. From this time begins the 
golden age of Roman politics. Civil concord, to which a 
temple was dedicated, brought with it a period of civic 
virtue and heroic greatness. 

36. Up to the period at which we have now arrived, — 
Smaiiness of the middle of the 4th century b. c, — the 
the nation. Romans were but a small nation : their terri- 
tory included but a few townships on the Tiber, and the 
whole number of adult Roman citizens at the close of the 
5th century was under 300,000. In the mean time Rome 
was surrounded by petty nationalities that girdled its 
strength ; and its wars thus far had been mainly a " struggle 
for existence." 

37. With the setdement of political difficulties in the 
Wars for do- middle of the 4th century, we enter on a new 
minion. ^^^ Qf Roman history. The republic now 
began a series of 7vars for dominion. These wars were 
with (i) their immediate relatives the Latins ; with (2) their 
more distant relatives, the various other Italian nation- 
alities ; with (3) the Greek settlements in Southern Italy 
aided by Pyrrhus, King of Epirus ; with (4) the Gauls in 
Northern Italy. 

38. History has been too much occupied with the record 
Meaning of o^ battles and sieges ; hence we shall not go 
these wars. j^^^q ^j-jg gudlcss and Complicated details of 
these operations. But we must understand in a general way 
that these Roman wars meant a great deal. Before Rome 
could play its grand part in the history of the world's civili- 



ROMAN CONQUEST OF ITALY. I45 

zation it was necessary, first of all, that it should become 
a great Nation. A great nation needs an extensive stage 
on which to play its part. Now the wars by which the 
Romans put down the various small and obstructive nation- 
alities of Italy were the clearing of the stage, preliminary 
to the oncoming of that imperial figure, the Mistress of the 
World. 

39. The series of wars against Etruscans, Latins, Sam- 
nites, and Gauls, sometimes singly and some- ^ 

' ' . . r, 1 • Samnite wars. 

times in combmation, is usually known m 
Roman history by the general designation of the " Latin 
wars " and the " Samnite wars." These wars filled the 
greater part of the half-century between 343 and 290 b. c. ; 
and the Samnites were the leaders in this onset of the na- 
tions on Rome, the issue of which was to determine whether 
Rome or Samnium should govern Italy. The Romans 
were completely successful ; and extricating themselves by 
their valor from this confused conflict of nations, the Ro- 
mans found themselves masters of Central Italy (290 b. c), 
— Samnites, Latins, etc., all their subjects. 

40. The " Samnite wars " were succeeded by a short 
but brisk war, designated in Roman history war with 
"the war with Pyrrhus and the Greeks in Py"hus. 
Italy." Pyrrhus was an able and enterprising Greek prince 
whom the Greek towns of Southern Italy — fearful of being 
overwhelmed by what they called the " conquering barba- 
rians of the Tiber " — had invited over from his native 
country to help them as champion of a Greek city. 

41. Pyrrhus came over with a force of 25,000 troops 
and 20 elephants. In the first battle (Pan- ^^ 

1 • o \ 1 -r. r 1 1 Narrative. 

dosia, 280 B. c.) the Romans fought stoutly, 
until what they conceived to be gigantic gray oxen (the 
elephants) came thundering down upon them ; so that the 
victory remained with Pyrrhus. In the next contest 
also (Asculum, 279 b. c.) Pyrrhus was successful; but 
7 J 



146 HISTORY OF ROME. 

the Romans made him pay so dearly for his triumph that 
he is said to have exclaimed, " Another such victory and I 
am undone ! " Not having succeeded in his main object, 
Pyrrhus quitted Italy and went to Sicily ; but soon after he 
returned, renewed the contest with the Romans, and was 
utterly overthrown at Beneventum, in 275 b. c. 

42. The subjugation of Southern Italy — of all that part 

called Great Greece — soon followed, and at 
the close of the year b. c. 266 Rome reigned 
supreme over the length and breadth of the peninsula of 
Italy, from the southern boundary of Cisalpine Gaul to 
the Sicilian Straits, and from the Tyrrhenian, or Tuscan, 
Sea to the Adriatic. 

43. We must now see how Rome consolidated the power 
Nature of the shc had thus won, and try to realize what 
Roman state, nianncr of nation the Roman state now formed. 
The real governing power was the Roman people, — popidus 
Romanus^ — that is to say, the body of free inhabitants of 
the thirty-three tribes or parishes north and south of the 
Tiber, which constituted the Roman territory proper, 
together with a considerable number of persons in other 
parts of Italy who, either from being colonists of Roman 
descent or from having had Roman citizenship conferred 
on them, had the privilege of going to Rome and voting at 
the Comitia, or Assembly. The possessors of the suffrage 
thus formed a comparatively small body of men, such as 
might be assembled with ease in any public square or park, 
and these by their votes decided on the affairs of the 
commonwealth, controlling thus the destinies of the whole 
population of Italy, estimated at this time at above 
5,000,000. 

44. In addition to the popnlns Romanus there were two 

other classes, — the Italians and the Latins. 

Other classes. _,,_,. .. , . , . . ^ 

The Italians, or socii, were the inhabitants or 
the allied and dependent Italian states that had submitted 



FOREIGN CONQUEST. 1 4/ 

to Rome. These communities were almost all permitted to 
retain their own laws, judges, municipal arrangements, etc. ; 
but they did not possess the Roman franchise, and hence 
had no share in the political affairs of the republic. The 
Latins were those who belonged to cities having the " Latin 
franchise," as it was called, from its having first been given 
to the cities of Latium when conquered. This did not give 
full Roman citizenship, but made it easier to obtain it. 

45. Rome wisely left self-government to all the depen- 
dent and allied states, while she secured her summary of 
sovereignty by three rights which she reserved government, 
to herself: 1. She alone made peace or declared war; 2. 
She alone might receive embassies ; 3. She alone might 
coin money. Altogether it was an admirable system, vastly 
superior to the loosely related Grecian states. It was a 
system that made possible for the first time in the world's 
history a great, as well as a free, nation. 

46. Thus far we have been occupied wholly with the ex- 
ternal wars and the internal struggles of the General sum- 
Romans, and this for the reason that their con- "^^^y- 
quests and their political organization were the main things 
that this remarkable people had yet accomplished. It is a 
striking fact that there was not yet even a dawning Roman 
literature ; in art, science, philosophy, Rome had done — 
absolutely nothing. But, in fact, it was in the art of govern- 
ing mankind that Roman genius was to appear ; and it was 
this that showed itself in these early years, — it was their 
valor, their probity, their patriotism, their political tact, and 
not speculation or literary culture, that distinguished them. 



3. EPOCH OF FOREIGN CONQUEST (266-133 B.C.). 

47. The epoch of Roman history on which we now enter 
covers 133 years, beginning in 266 b. c. and Extent of the 
ending in 133 b. c. This is the era of Rome's p^nod. 



148 



HISTORY OF ROME. 



first great foreign conquests, embracing the Punic and Mace- 
donian wars, and lasts down to the rise of the civil broils 
under the Gracchi. 




MAP TO Illustrate 

THE PUNiG Wars, 

Shoiv/ng Roman r£fi/?/roRyArT//£r//?r£RM//v AT/ON. 



££SSZ.% 



48. In the middle of the 3d century b. c. the great 

maritime power of the Western Mediterranean 
was Carthage. She was at the head of the 
other Phoenician cities in Africa, numbering about 300, 
with possessions in Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, and Spain. 
In government she was a republic ruled by an aristocracy. 
The Carthaginians were devoted to commerce, and had the 
good and the bad traits characteristic of a purely commer- 
cial people. The Romans, who were their rivals and ene- 
mies, represented them as wanting in integrity and honor ; 
hence the ironical phrase to denote treachery, Punka fides 
(^Pimica from Pa:?ii^ the Latin form of the name P/icenicians), 
or Punic faith. 

49. It was hardly possible that two such powers as Car- 



FOREIGN CONQUEST. 1 49 



thage and Rome should not come into collision. And it 
was the more likely, as the island of Sicily lay ^ ^ 

. 1 ^ 1 • • 11 Seeds of war. 

between them, where the Carthagmians had 

large possessions, and where the Greek cities were closely 

connected with the Greek subjects of Rome in Southern 

Italy. 

50. The pretext was not long wanting. The Mamer- 
tines, a body of Campanian mercenaries who origin of first 
had seized the town of Messa'na on the Sicil- ^""^'^ ^^'■• 
ian Straits, being threatened with destruction by the com- 
bined Carthaginians and Syracusans, applied for help to 
Rome, and were readily received into her alliance. From 
this resulted the first Puiiic IVar, which lasted for twenty- 
three years (264-241 b. c). The independent Greek city 
of Syracuse having very soon changed sides, the war was 
between the Romans and Syracusans on one side and the 
Carthaginians on the other. 

51. The war was carried on chiefly in and about Sicily. 
The reduction of Asrrigentum (262 b. c.) was 

. ^ ^ ^ Narrative. 

the first great exploit of the Romans. But the 
most remarkable feature of the contest was the wonderfully 
rapid development of a navy by the Romans, At the be- 
ginning they had no fleet at all, and it is said that they 
took as their model a stranded Carthaginian galley: two 
years afterwards they were able to assemble so powerful a 
navy that they defeated their enemy in a great sea-fight at 
Mylae, 260 b. c. 

52. Their victories by sea emboldened the Romans to 
send an army across to Africa, and to attack 

1 • • , • T^ 1 T^ Sequel. 

their enemy m his own country. But the Ro- 
man army under Reg'ulus was defeated at Tunis, and Regu- 
lus himself was made prisoner (255 b. c). The war was 
then confined to Sicily, where the Carthaginians suffered 
severe defeat at Panor'mus. In the mean time disasters at 
sea befell the Romans, who lost fleet after fleet, until a new 



150 HISTORY OF ROME. 

navy raised by subscription took the sea, and by the victory 
at ^gu'sa reduced the Carthaginians to seek peace, b. c. 
241. The treaty compelled the Carthaginians to evacuate 
Sicily and the adjacent islands, to pay a heavy indemnity, 
and to recognize the independence of Hi'ero, king of Syra- 
cuse. 

53. The island of Sicily, or that part of it which the 
Province of Carthaginians had possessed, was organized 
^''^^'y- into a province^ and this fact is notable as being 
the commencement of that new feature in the Roman rule, 
namely, the institution of provincial gonenwiejif, or that gov- 
ernment established by the Romans for their possessions 
outside of Italy. 

54. Having thus triumphed over Carthage, the Romans 
Conquest of tumcd their eyes northward with the view of 
Cisalpine Gaul, carrying their dominion to the Alps. The 
Gauls in the valley of the Po (Cisalpine Gaul) took the 
alarm, and began a movement towards Rome. They were, 
however, met by three armies, and were so thoroughly pun- 
ished that in three years all Cisalpine Gaul submitted to 
Rome, 222 B. c. In the country were planted two Roman 
colonies. 

55* l^e Carthaginians felt that they had been deeply 
Carthag-e pre- wrongcd by the Romans, and ever since the 
pares for war. (>lose of the War tlicy had been studying how 
the injury done them might be revenged. Among the advo- 
cates of war at Carthage was the powerful Barcine family, 
at the head of which was Hamil'car Barca, who had won fame 
in the latter part of the previous war. Under this able 
leader the Carthaginians first directed their attention to 
Spain (where they already had a strong foothold) as a fit 
" base of operations " against the Romans. Hamilcar's 
great object m subjugating Spain was to obtain the means 
of attacking the hated rival of his country. His implacable 
animosity against Rome is shown by the well-known tale. 



FOREIGN CONQUEST. 151 

that when he crossed over to Spain in 235 b. c, taking with 
him his son Hannibal, then only nine years old, he made 
him swear at the altar eternal hostility to Rome. Hamilcar 
fell in battle, and was succeeded by his son-in-law Has'dru- 
bal, and when the latter was assassinated, the command of 
the army devolved upon Hannibal. 

56. When, at the age of twenty-six, Hannibal was ap- 
pointed to the command of the Carthaginian Hannibal's 
army in Spain, he carried the Carthaginian campaign, 
line up to the Ebro and besieged Sagun'tum, an ally of Rome. 
The city fell, and Rome immediately declared hostilities. 
The result was the second Punic War, which began in the 
year 218 b. c. Before the Roman army was ready to take 
the field, Hannibal, who was one of the greatest military 
geniuses that ever lived, had crossed the Pyrenees on his 
way to Italy. He then proceeded to perform one of the 
most famous exploits on record : with his army he climbed 
over the Alps (218 B.C.), losing above 30,000 men, burst 
into the plain of Italy, and defeated the Romans in four 
battles, the greatest of which was Cannae, fought in 216 b. c. 

57. In Italy the career of Hannibal was most extraor- 
dinary: for fifteen years (217 - 202 b. c.) he operations m 
maintained himself in the peninsula, moving ^^^'y- 
hither and thither, keeping seven or eight Roman generals, 
and among them the wary Fa'bius and the bold Marcellus, 
continually employed, scattering the Romans like chaff 
wherever he appeared, exhausting the finances of the state, 
and detaching the Italian nationalities from their allegiance. 

58. It is probable that Hannibal might have maintained 
himself in Italy for an indefinite time, and Roman strat- 
finally have shattered the commonwealth in ^s^- 
pieces, had it not been that the Romans assumed the 
offensive against Carthage. A vigorous young soldier, 
Pub'lius Scipio, was sent into Spain, which he reduced to 
the condition of a Roman province, thus closing the main 



152 HISTORY OF ROME. 

avenue by which the Carthaginians could send reinforce- 
ments to Hannibal (216-205 b. c). Hannibal's brother, 
Hasdrubal, managed, indeed, to march from Spain across 
the Alps into Italy (207 b. c.) ; but his force was met and 
defeated, — and the first intimation Hannibal received of 
his brother's arrival in Italy was the sight of that brother's 
bloody head tossed contemptuously into his camp. 

59. In spite of the cutting of his communications, Han- 
ciose of the nibal could readily have maintained himself in 
^^^- Italy ; but now Scipio passed over into Africa, 
and having defeated the Carthaginians in several battles, so 
terrified the authorities at Carthage that they recalled Han- 
nibal from Italy. The final battle of the war was fought on 
the plain of Zama in Africa, in the year 202 b. c. The vic- 
tory was with the Romans, and the Carthaginians in conse- 
quence were obliged to agree to a peace on very severe 
terms. Scipio — henceforward known as Scipio Africanus 
' — returned home and was honored with the most magnifi- 
cent triumph that had yet been exhibited in the Roman 
capital. 

60, Several years after this time Hannibal had to flee 
Anecdote of from liis couutry, and he spent the last years 
Hannibal. ^f j^jg Y\i^ in Syria and Bithyn'ia. By a strange 
coincidence of fortune, his victor, Scipio, had also to go 
into exile, and resided for a while at Ephesus, where Hanni- 
bal was at the time. Many friendly conversations passed 
between them, and in one of these the Roman is said to 
have asked the Carthaginian " whom he thought the greatest 
general." Hannibal immediately replied, " Alexander ; be- 
cause that, with a small body of men, he had defeated very 
numerous armies, and had overrun a great part of the 
world." " And who do you think deserves the next 
place ? " continued the Roman. " Pyrrhus," replied the 
other ; " he first taught the method of forming a camp to 
the best advantage." "And whom do you place next to 



FOREIGN CONQUEST. I 53 

those ? " said Scipio. " Myself," said Hannibal ; at which 
Scipio asked, with a smile, " Where, then, would you have 
placed yourself if you had conquered me ? " " Above Al- 
exander," replied the Carthaginian, " above Pyrrhus, and 
above all other generals." 

61. An interval of fifty years separates the second from 
the third and last war with Carthage, and sev- Third Punic 
eral important events that we shall have to re- ^^'■* 

late happened in the interim ; but it will give us a clearer 
view if we close here the whole history of Rome's dealings 
with Carthage. 

62. The third Punic war was, on the part of Rome, 
utterly causeless. The second had made Blame of the 
Carthage a dependent ally of Rome, but still ^^'■■ 

left it free in its internal government. Now, a consid- 
erable party at Rome were bent on reducing Carthage 
to a position of complete subjugation. At the head of 
this party was Porcius Cato, the censor, who then swayed 
the decisions of the Roman senate. So bitterly hostile 
was he to Carthage, that for years he closed every speech 
he made — no matter on what subject — with the words, 
Dele7i'da est Carthago^ " Carthage must be destroyed ! " 

63. The humbled Carthaginians made every submission, 
yielding up their arms, their ships, and their Roman harsh- 
munitions of war, and they even offered to "^^^• 

give up their own government and become subjects of 
Rome. When, however, Rome proposed to raze their sea- 
side city, and send them to live inland, a wail of indigna- 
tion and despair went up from Carthage, and the inhabitants 
determined to sacrifice their lives rather than submit to the 
savage mandate. 

64. The third Punic War began in 149 b. c. The 
" Siege of Carthage " which lasted four years, siege of Car- 
and was conducted on the part of the Romans *^^e^- 

by the younger Scipio, known as Scipio ^milia'nus, was the 
7* 



154 



HISTORY OF ROME. 



one event of this final struggle. Carthage was without 
ships, without allies, almost without arms ; yet she main- 
tained the contest with the courage of despair : the women 
gave their tresses to make bowstrings, and the men poured 
out their blood most lavishly. But it was all in vain. The 
city was taken, and, being set on fire, the flames continued 
to rage for seventeen days. Thus was Carthage with its 
walls and buildings, the habitations of 700,000 people, razed 
to its foundations. The Carthaginian territory was then 
made into the Roman Province of Africa^ under a proconsul, 
and the seat of government was fixed at Utica (b. c. 146). 

65. It is related that when Scipio beheld Carthage in 
Anecdote of flamcs his soul was softened by reflections on 
Scipio. jj^g instability of fortune, and he could not 
help anticipating a time when Rome herself should expe- 
rience the same calamities as those which had befallen her 
unfortunate competitor. He vented his feelings by quoting 
from Homer the lines in which Hector predicts the fall of 
Troy : — 

" Yet come it will, the day decreed by fates ; 
(How my heart trembles, while my tongue relates!) 
The day when thou, imperial Troy, must bend, 
And see thy warriors fall, thy glories end." 

66. Meantime the Roman dominion had been enlarged 
Subiugation bv the annexation of Macedonia and Greece. 

of Macedon , •;, .111 • 1 1 r 

and Greece. While the late war was going on, the ruler of 
Macedon, King Philip V., became embroiled with Rome, 
owing to his having made a treaty with Hannibal. The 
Romans made a campaign against Philip, and in this con- 
test some of the Greek states sided with Macedon and some 
with Rome. The result was that in the battle of Cynos- 
ceph'alce, in Thessaly, 197 b. c, the power of Macedon was 
broken and Philip had to become a dependent ally of Rome. 
A little later the Macedonians were completely crushed at 
Pydna (168 b. c), and came still more under the power of 



FOREIGN CONQUEST. I 55 

Rome, In the year 146 b. c. (same year as the destruc- 
tion of Carthage) Corinth was captured and burned. No 
further resistance was offered to the victorious Romans, 
and Greece was made into a Roman province under the 
name of Achaia. 

67. At the commencement of the period of conquest 
(266 - I-;-; B. c), the Roman dominion was con- Review of 

r- , , • 1 r X 1 • , • Rome's con- 

fined to the penmsula of Italy ; at its close it quests. 

extended over the whole of Southern Europe from the 
shores of the Atlantic to the straits of Constantinople, over 
the chief Mediterranean islands, and over a portion of 
North Africa, while farther east, in Egypt, Asia Minor, and 
Syria, her influence was paramount. At the commencement 
of the period Rome was merely one of the " Great Powers " 
of the world as it then was, — that is, she ranked with Car- 
thage, Macedonia, and the kingdom of the Seleucidae ; at 
its close she was clearly the sole Great Power left. 

68. The Roman dominion now became a duality, — it 
was " Italy and the Provinces." The politi- Ruie of the 
cal state of Italy was that described in the last Provinces, 
section ; but the addition of the conquered countries result- 
ed in the new feature of Roman rule called Provincial gov- 
ernment. Retaining their native habits, religion, laws, etc., 
the inhabitants of every province were governed by a mili- 
tary president, sent from Rome, with a staff of officials. 
The provincials were required to pay taxes in money and 
kind ; and these taxes were farmed out by the censors to 
Roman citizens, who, under the name of Publicans.^ settled 
in the various districts of the provinces. Thus, like a net- 
work proceeding from a center, the political system of the 
Romans pervaded the mass of millions of human beings in- 
habiting the shores of the Mediterranean ; and a vast popu- 
lation of various races and languages were all bound to- 
gether by the cohesive power of Roman rule. 

69. The luster of the Roman power and the glory of the 



156 HISTORY OF ROME. 

Roman name were now at their height. The eyes of all 
Grandeur of the world were now on Italy, the young re- 
Rome, public of the West. Into Rome all talents, all 
riches, flowed. What a grand thing in those days to be a 
Roman citizen ; so that, wherever one walked, — in Spain, 
in Africa, even in once proud Athens, — he was followed, 
feasted, flattered ! What a career was opened to those who 
wished for wealth or aspired to fame ! But in the very sun- 
burst of Rome's glory, the germs of decay were ripening. 

70. On the Romans themselves the effect of their foreign 
Effect of con- conqucsts was both good and bad ; but per- 
quests. j^^pg ^^ gyji outweighed the good. Let us 
glance at both sides of the shield. 

71. The wealth poured into Rome by the conquest of 

Carthage, of Greece, and the East, and the con- 

Pubhc works. . , , , 1 . , r V 

siderable revenue derived from the permanent 
taxation of the provinces, enabled the Romans to carry out 
a great system of public works. Throughout Italy splendid 
military roads which remain to this day were built, the 
provinces were traversed by imperial highways, and fine 
stone bridofes were thrown across the Tiber. In Rome 
splendid public buildings were erected, the city was sewered, 
the streets were paved (174 b. c), two new aqueducts (the 
Marcian, built in 144 b. c, at a cost of % 10,000,000) were 
constructed ; and it may be noted that the Consul P. Scipio 
Nasi'ca, in 159 b. c, set up in Rome a public clep'sydra^ or 
water-clock, the citizens having for six centuries gone on 
without any accurate means of knowing the time by night 
as well as day. 

72. The effect on Rome of the conquest of Greece and 
Influence of the Hellcnized East was very marked. Greek 
Greece. rhctoricians, scholars, tragedians, flute-players, 
and philosophers in large numbers took up their abode 
in Rome. The city swarmed with Greek schoolmasters. 
Greek tutors and philosophers, who, even if they were not 



FOREIGN CONQUEST. I 57 

slaves, were as a rule accounted as servants, were now per- 
manent inmates in the palaces of Rome ; people speculated 
in them, and there is a statement that the sum of 200,000 
sesterces ($ 10,000) was paid for a Greek literary slave of 
the first class. 

73. The stimulus of Greek literary culture led to native 
production, and in the 2d century B. c. we pirst litera- 
have the beginning of that Latin literature *"'"^- 
which we still read. Though the great period of Roman 
letters did not come till a century after this time (age of 
Augustus), yet there arose a number of writers of no ordi- 
nary power. Among these should be mentioned Ennius, 
the father of Roman poetry ; Plautus, his contemporary, a 
man of rich poetic genius ; the elder Cato, the first prose 
writer of note ; and Terence, the most famous of the comic 
poets. 

74. While the Romans were in some respects benefited 
by contact with the superior though decaying: 

\ ^ „ 1,11 Evil effects. 

culture of Greece, they also learned a great 

deal that was debasing. They became effeminate, luxurious, 

and corrupt in morals ; marriage was not respected ; the 

old Roman faith waned, and it was said that two augurs 

could not meet in the street without laughing in each other's 

face. 

75. The political system of Rome now began to lead to 
a dreadful state of public corruption. The Political 
Roman government was devised for the rule of '■"p**' 
a city : all power was in the hands of the civic voters, and 
when there came to be great prizes, in the way of great 
offices at home and abroad, the voters began to find that 
their votes were worth something, and unblushing bribery 
and corruption became common. 

76. The demands of the large planters and merchants 
led to a great extension of the slave-trade. Growth of 
All lands and all nations were laid under con- slavery. 



cor- 
ion. 



158 HISTORY OF ROME. 

tribution for slaves, but the places where they were chiefly 
captured were Syria and the interior of Asia Minor. It is 
probable that at the period at which we have now arrived 
(middle of the 2d century b. c.) there were twelve million 
slaves against five million free inhabitants in the Italian 
peninsula, — a most lamentable state of things ! 

77. In addition to the slaves, Italy became filled up with 
Corruption of 3- Hiotlcy parasitic population from Asia and 
blood. Africa and all the conquered lands, — and the 
result of this intermixture soon appeared in a marked degen- 
eracy in the Roman race itself. 

78. The decay of old Roman virtue became at the same 

time apparent in a great increase of luxury. 

This displayed itself in houses, villas, pleasure- 
gardens, fish-ponds, dress, food, and drink. Extravagant 
prices — as much as 100,000 sesterces ($ 5000) — were paid 
for an exquisite cook. Costly foreign delicacies and wines 
were affected, and the Romans in their banquets vied with 
one another in displaying their hosts of slaves ministering 
to luxury, their bands of musicians, their dancing-girls, their 
purple hangings, their carpets glittering with gold or picto- 
rially embroidered, and their rich silver plate. 

79o In the midst of the system there were not wanting 

some noble patterns of the old Roman type. 

Old Romans. , ^ , , , . , ^ * , 

among whom should be named Cato,* who 
kept up a constant protest all his life against the growing 
luxury' of his countrymen, and died declaring that they 
were a degenerate race. Such men were, however, rare 
exceptions ; and we shall hereafter see that the evil system 
already operative in the 2d century went on increasing, 
till finally, a century afterwards, it resulted in the total 
subv«^rsion of the republic. 

* Porcius Cato, frequently surnamed Cato the Censor, was born b. c. 
234. He distinguished himself in the Punic wars and in various public 
servic*»6, but he was still more noted for his pure morality and strict 
virtue. He died in 149 B. c, at the age of eighty-five. 



CIVIL STRIFE. 159 



4. EPOCH OF CIVIL STRIFE (133-27 B.C.). 

80. The picture just given of the state of Roman society 
in the last half of the 2cl century e, c. prepares Bad state of 
us for the period of civil strife on which we now society, 
enter. A number of causes had resulted in the growth of 
an aristocracy founded purely on wealth ; the old division 
of society into patricians and plebeians had ceased, and 
there arose a still worse division into classes, — the rich 
and the poor. The old peasant proprietors of Italy had 
become practically extinct, and their place was supplied 
by hordes of slaves. The cities, and especially Rome, 
were filled by vast masses of people, not living, as the 
traders, artisans, and laborers of our cities do, by honest 
industry, but subsisting in noisy idleness upon the price 
of their votes. Roinan society, in fact, had ceased to have 
any middle class, and was divided between two extremes, 
— grandees and paupers. 

81. The cause of the poor against the rich was taken up 
by a noble young tribune of the people named 

Tiberius Gracchus. Tiberius and his after- 
wards distinguished younger brother Caius (the two being 
known in history as the Gracchi) were sons of a noble Ro- 
man matron, Cornelia, daughter of the great Scipio Afri- 
canus. 

82. Tiberius Gracchus proposed a land-law (agrarian 
law), which was practically a revival of the 

T ■ • ■ J .,..,, ^ , ,. Agrarian law. 

Licuiian law : it limited the amount of public 
land that could be held by any one individual to 500 jugera, 
and provided for the distribution of the rest in small home- 
steads. The aristocracy immediately raised a storm, and 
induced another tribune to veto the measure. Now, accord- 
ing to the Roman code, no proposal could become law 
unless all .the tribunes were unanimous. Gracchus then 
secured a popular vote expelling his colleague from the 



l6o HISTORY OF ROME. 



tribuneship, and the land-law was passed by the people, 
B. c. 133. In the mean time, however, Gracchus's year of 
office expired, and he came up for re-election. The nobles 
resolved to prevent this by violence. 

83. Gracchus, learning this, bade his friends arm them- 

selves with staves : and when the people began 

His murder. . . . r 1 • i . i • 1 1 

to mquire the cause of this, he put his hand to 
his head, intimating that his life was in danger. Some of 
his enemies ran to the senate and reported that Tiberius 
openly demanded a crown. A body of the aristocrats 
with their clients and dependents then rushed among the 
unarmed crowd, and murdered Gracchus with 300 of his 
adherents, — 133 b. c. 

84. Tiberius Gracchus was dead, but his work remained ; 
Agrarian that is to Say, the measure which he had pro- 
struggie. posed was law, and the commissioners intrusted 
with the task of allotting the lands prosecuted their labors 
for two or three years. The nobles, however, obstructed the 
work as much as possible, so that between them and the 
champions of the people there was a continuous struggle. 

85. This struggle became still more fierce when Caius 
The younger Gracchus, ten years after the death of his 
Gracchus. brother, claimed and obtained the tribuneship, 
and then took up that brother's work. The agitation for 
the agrarian law was renewed, an enactment was made for 
a monthly distribution of corn to the city poor, and vari- 
ous other reforms were proposed by him. After holding 
the tribuneship for two years, however, he lost the office 
through the intrigues of his opponents. The nobles were 
determined to crush Gracchus ; accordingly, at one of the 
public assemblies they attacked the partisans of the popular 
leader, and there ensued a bloody combat (121 b. c.) in 
which 3000 of his adherents were slain. Gracchus himself 
fled into a wood across the Tiber ; but, being pursued, he 
chose to die by the hands of a faithful slave rather than 
fall into the power of his enemies. 



CIVIL STRIFE. 



l6l 



86. The ill-will between the nobles and the people con- 
tinued just as bitter after the death of Grac- RiseofMarius 
chus ; and matters finally shaped themselves in ^"'^ S""^- 
such a way that the nobles, or senatorial party, came to be 
represented by a leader named Sulla, and the democracy, or 
Commons, by another called Marius. These men came to 
prominence in the course of two or three wars in which 
Rome was engaged for twenty-five or thirty years after the 
time of which we have been speaking ; and finally they ac- 
quired such power as to bring on a civil strife that deluged 
Italy with blood. 

87. The wars just referred to were : the Jugurthine war 
(in -106 B.C.), the war against the Cimbri wars of the 
(113-101 B.C.), and the Social war (90-89 p^'^^^'^- 

B. c), with the details of which we need not concern our- 
selves ; but the fourth contest was of more moment, and 
needs notice here. This was the Mithridatic war. 




1 62 HISTORY OF ROME. 

88. Mithrida'tes, King of Pontus, a bold and able sol- 
Design of clier, formed the design of uniting the Asiatic 
Mithndates. states and Greece in a vast confederacy against 
the Roman dominion. He began by causing about 80,000 
Romans who dwelt in the cities of Asia Minor to be massa- 
cred in one day (88 b. c). He then invaded Greece. 

89. The command in this important war was eagerly 
Mithridatic sought by both Marius and Sulla. Sulla pre- 
^^'■- vailed ; he was elected consul and put in com- 
mand. Marius, being chagrined at this, succeeded in 
having the popular party set aside Sulla. But the aristo- 
cratic general marched to Rome and compelled Marius to 
flee into Africa. Sulla then set out for Greece, all of which 
submitted to him, the army of Mithridates being defeated 
(86-84 B. c). 

90. During the absence of Sulla, Marius returned to Italy. 
Marian mas- Entering Rouic in 86 B. c. he filled the entire 
sacres. ^.j^y ^^.j^-j-^ slaughter, and in particular he caused 
the murder of the leading senators that had supported his 
rival. Marius then caused himself to be proclaimed con- 
sul without going through an election ; but a fortnight later 
he died. 

91. Notwithstanding the death of Marius, the Marian 
Sulla's mas- party still continued in power. Sulla, hearing 
sacres. q£ ^.j^gj^. succcsscs, hastily concluded a peace 
with Mithridates, and hurried to Italy (83 B. c). After a 
severe struggle, Sulla utterly overthrew the Marians. The 
blood of massacre then flowed a second time, — in a yet 
greater stream. Lists of proscribed persons, embracing all 
who belonged to the people's party, were published every 
day, and the porch of Sulla's house was full of heads. 

92. Having put down all his enemies, Sulla caused him- 
Suiia's career sclf to be proclaimed dictator for an unlimited 
and death. ^ time (8 1 B. c). He then proceeded to re-or- 
ganize the government wholly in the interest of the aristo- 



CIVIL STRIFE. 163 



cratic party ; but to the great surprise of every one he three 
years afterwards resigned his power and retired to private 
life. Sulla died in 78 b. c. ; he was honored with a mag- 
nificent funeral, and a monument with the following epitaph 
written by himself : " I am Sulla the Fortunate, who in 
the course of my life have surpassed both friends and ene- 
mies ; the former by the good, the latter by the evil, I have 
done them." In the civil wars carried on between Marius 
and Sulla 150,000 Roman citizens, including 200 senators, 
perished. 

93. We have now arrived at a period in Roman history 
when all the interest centers in the struggles of struggle of 

a few ambitious men for supreme power. The factions, 
grand days of the republic were over, and a war of factions 
had begun. This could end only in anarchy, and when a 
republic falls into anarchy, a supreme ruler is soon wel- 
comed as a deliverer from its horrors. The only question 
now was n'ho in Rome was to be that ruler. 

94. After the death of Sulla, the most prominent figure 
among all the men of the aristocratic party Rise of Pom- 
was Cneius Pompey, who had distinguished p^^- 
himself as a lieutenant of Sulla, and afterwards won renown 
by his management of several important matters in which 
Rome was engaged, — especially in the suppression of a 
formidable revolution in Spain under a very able leader 
named Serto'rius (77-72 b. c), and in stamping out a fire 
of revolt kindled by Spar'tacus, the leader of a band of 
gladiators, who, joined by a large force of discontented 
spirits, kept Italy in alarm for two or three years (73-71 
B. c). These exploits made Pompey a popular favorite, 
and in the year 70 b. c. he was rewarded by being made 

j consul along with a rich senator named Crassus. 

95- ■^t the expiration of his year of office he retired 
I to private life, but was soon called upon to His doings in 
suppress a formidable combination of pirates ^^^ ^^^'^^ 



1 64 HISTORY OF ROME. 

who infested the Mediterranean Sea and had their head- 
quarters in Cib'cia (in Asia Minor). This task he accom- 
pUshed in three months. These triumphs, aided by his 
poUtical influence, enabled Pompey to procure the command 
in the war against Mithridates, who had renewed his scheme 
of conquering the Eastern Roman provinces. He was 
given powers such as never had been delegated to any 
Roman general. This war lasted for two years (66-64 
B. c), and was marked by a series of brilliant triumphs for 
Pompey. He utterly crushed Mithridates (who died by 
self-administered poison), as well as his son-in-law Tigra'nes, 
subdued Phoenicia, made Syria a Roman province, and took 
Jerusalem. Thus with the glory of having subjugated and 
settled the East he returned to Rome (62 b. c), where a 
magnificent triumph awaited him. He was in a position to 
make himself military sovereign of the Roman world, if he 
chose to avail himself of his opportunity. We must now see 
what had been passing in Rome in the mean while. 

96. There seem to have grown up, after the death of 
The four fac- Sulla, four factions in Rome : the " oligarchi- 
*^°"^- cal faction," consisting of the small number 
of families the chiefs of which directed the senate, and in 
fact governed the republic ; the " aristocratic faction," com- 
prising the mass of the senators anxious to obtain the power 
usurped by a few of their colleagues ; the " Marian party," 
including all those whose families had been prosecuted by 
Sulla, and who now began to rally, and aspire to power ; the 
"military faction," embracing a crowd of old officers of 
Sulla, who, having squandered the fortunes they had gained 
under him, were eager for some revolution that might give 
them the opportunity to improve their condition. 

97. At the head of the oligarchical faction was Pom- 
Leader of the pey \ but during his absence in Asia its rep- 
oiigarchy. rcscntative was Marcus Tul'lius Cicero (born 
106 B. c), who had established his reputation as the first 



CIVIL STRIFE. 165 

orator in Rome. He had risen through various offices to 
the praetorship, and at the time Pompey left for the East 
aspired to be consul. He did not himself belong to a 
noble family, but still he made himself the champion of the 
oligarchy. Though vain and boastful, he was a virtuous 
and patriotic man. 

98. The leader of the aristocratic faction was Crassus, 
formerly the colleague of Pompey in the con- of the aris- 
sulship, now his personal rival. He was a to^acy. 
man of no great ability, but his position and his immense 
wealth made him influential. (After prodigious expendi- 
tures, he died worth % 10,000,000.) 

99. The leader of the third, or Marian party, was a man 
six years younger than Pompey or Cicero, who, 
distinguished in youth for his accomplishments 

and his extravagance, rose in the year 65 b. c. to the office 
of edile. This was Caius Julius Caesar, — a man of pre- 
eminent ability, one of the greatest that ever lived. He 
was the nephew of Marius, and now stood forward as the 
leader of the Marian party. He was of an old patrician 
family, and took up the cause of the people to serve his 
own ends. 

100. The leader of the military faction was Catiline, who 
had been one of the ablest and most ferocious conspiracy of 
of Sulla's officers. He had a large following Catiime. 

of debauched young patricians and ruined military men, 
who thought they would better their fortunes by making 
Catiline consul. Cicero was his rival, and, receiving the 
support of the senators, was elected. •Enraged at his defeat, 
Catiline formed a conspiracy of which the murder of Cicero 
and the burning of Rome were parts. A woman betrayed 
the plot to Cicero, who denounced Catiline with such fiery 
eloquence that he had to flee from Rome. With a band 
of confederates he attempted to reach Gaul ; but he was 
overtaken in Etruria and slain, 62 b. c. 



1 66 HISTORY OF ROME. 

101. If Pompey had been really a great and clear-sighted 
man, he could, on his return from the East, have easily put 
Position of himself at the head of affairs. But he was 
Pompey. j^ot really such. He was, in fact, rather a lucky 
general than a great statesman. The oligarchic party began 
to distrust him, and as the senate under the lead of Cato 
refused to ratify his measures in Asia, he threw himself into 
opposition and went over to the popular party. This brought 
him into close connection with Cassar. 

102. Caesar and Pompey, finding that they agreed in 
First trium- many of their views, resolved to unite their 
virate. forces. To ccmcut their union more closely, 
Caesar gave his only daughter Julia in marriage to Pompey. 
For various reasons it was found desirable to admit Crassus 
to their political partnership, and thus was formed (60 b. c.) 
that famous coalition known in Roman histoiy as the " First 
Triumvirate." The object of Caesar and Pompey was to 
thwart the senatorial party in every way, and wield all 
power themselves. 

103. The formation of the triumvirate was followed by 
Elevation of the election of Caesar to the consulship (59 b. c.) ; 
Caesar. ^^^ when his year of office expired he ob- 
tained for himself the government of Gaul for five years, 
and then for another five. This was probably the great ob- 
ject of Caesar's desires. No doubt he was already brooding 
over the design of making himself master of Rome ; and for 
this purpose he would need an army. 

104. During the years 58-50 b. c. Caesar made eight 
His Gallic caiupaigfls in Gaul, forming the remarkable 
campaigns. scrics of Operations which he afterwards de- 
scribed with such pointed style in his Comme.Jitaries. 

The prominent points in these campaigns are : He arrests the emi- 
gration of the Helvetii ; expels the Germans under Ariovistus (58 B. C.) ; 
completes the conquest of Gaul by subduing the Belgae (57 B. C ), and 
the Aquita'ni (56 B. c.) ; invades Britain twice (in 55 and 54 B. C.) ; 



CIVIL STRIFE. 




l68 HISTORY OF ROME. 

penetrates into Germany ; overthrows the Gauls, who revolt repeatedly ; 
conquers Vercingetorix, and entirely subdues the country (53-51 B. C ). 

105. The result of his eight years' campaigning was that, 
Position of i^ the Spring of 50 b. c, Caesar was able to 
^^^^'■- take up his residence in Cisalpine Gaul, leav- 
ing the 300 tribes beyond the Alps, which he had conquered 
by such bloody means, not only pacified, but even attached 
to himself personally. His army, which included many 
Gauls and Germans, was so devoted to him that it would 
have marched to the end of the world in his service. 

106. Let us now inquire as to the other two members 
Pompey and ^f the triumviratc. During Caesar's absence, 
Crassus. Pompcy and Crassus were elected consuls for 
the year 55 b. c. ; and when their own year of office had ex- 
pired both obtained important commands : Pompey received 
the government of Spain, as proconsul, for five years, and 
Crassus a similar appointment over the East. Soon after 
this, Crassus was murdered in Parthia ; so that the tri- 
umvirate became a duumvirate, or league of two men, — 
Caesar and Pompey. 

107. Now between these two men there had for some 
Rivalry of time been a p^rowine^ coldness. It was said 

Caesar and , ^ , 111, 

Pompey. that Caesar was a man who could brook , no 

equal, and Pompey a man who could suffer no superior. A 
feeling of rivalry having once arisen, naturally grew till 
Caesar and Pompey became the bitterest enemies. Pompey 
went over to the aristocratic party to which he had origi- 
nally belonged, and having been made sole consul for the 
year 52 b. c, he began to exert his great influence against 
Caesar. In this he was supported by the nobles, who 
dreaded Caesar's immense power. 

108. As the period of Caesar's command would expire in 
New compii- the year 49 b. c, he had determined to obtain 
cations. |-|-^g consulship for the year 48 b. c, since other- 
wise he would become a private citizen. Accordingly he 



CIVIL STRIFE. 169 



demanded, though absent, to be permitted to put himself 
in the hsts for the consulate. But it was proposed, 
through the influence of Pompey, that Caesar should lay 
down his command by the 13th of November, 50 b. c. This 
was an unreasonable demand ; for his term of government 
over Gaul had another year to run, and if he had gone to 
Rome as a private man to sue for the consulship, there 
can be no doubt that his life would have been sacrificed. 
Caesar, still anxious to keep the peace, offered, at the be- 
ginning of the year 49 b. c, to lay down his command if 
Pompey would do the same ; but this the senate refused 
to accede to, and a motion was passed that Caesar should 
disband his army by a certain day, and that if he did not 
do so, he should be regarded as an enemy of the state. 

109. Caesar promptly took his resolve : he would appeal 
to the arbitrament of arms. He had the en- 

, . . 1 . r 1 • IT 'Yh.Q. Rubicon. 

thusiastic devotion of his soldiers, the great 
mass of whom, being provincials or foreigners, cared very 
little for the country whose name they bore. Accordingly, 
in January, 49 b. c, he advanced from his headquarters at 
Ravenna to the little stream, the Ru'bicon, which separated 
his own province and command from Italy. The crossing 
of this river was in reality a declaration of war against the 
republic ; and it is related that, upon arriving at the Ru- 
bicon, Caesar long hesitated whether he should take this 
irrevocable step. After pondering many hours he at length 
exclaimed, " The die is cast ! " and plunged into the river. 

1 10. Pompey concluded not to attempt to defend Italy, 
but to retire upon the East, where he would Retreat of 
gather a great army and then return to over- Po^npey- 
whelm the "usurper." Accordingly he retreated to Greece. 

111. In sixty days Caesar made himself master of all 
Italy. Then marching to Rome he had him- caesar master 
self appointed dictator and consul for the year °^ ^"^^^y- 

48 B. c. He showed masterly statesmanship, and soon 



lyo HISTORY OF ROME. 

brought the general current of opinion completely over to 
his side. 

112. Meantime, Pompey had gathered a powerful army 
Battle of ii"^ Thessaly, and thither Cassar with his legions 
Pharsaiia. proceeded against him. The decisive battle 
between the two mighty rivals was fought at Pharsa'lia, in 
48 B. c. It resulted in the utter defeat of Pompey ; and as 
it left Cassar the foremost man in the Roman world, it must 
be regarded as one of the great decisive battles of history. 

113. Pompey, after his defeat, sought refuge in Egypt; 
Fate of b^t h^ ^^'^ assassinated by the orders of Ptol- 
Pompey. emj, when seeking to land on the coast of that 
country. Caesar, who followed in pursuit, did not hear of 
his death until his arrival in Alexandria, where messengers 
from Ptolemy brought him Pompey's head. Caesar, who 
was both a generous man and a compassionate foe, turned 
with horror from the spectacle, and with tears in his eyes 
gave orders that the head should be consumed with the 
costliest spices. 

114. At Alexandria Csesar became bewitched by Cleopa- 
Caesar in the tra, the young, beautiful, and fascinating queen 
^^^*- of Egypt. He even mixed himself up with a 
quarrel that was going on between her and her younger 
brother Ptolemy, to whom, according to the custom of the 
country, she was married, and with whom she shared the 
throne. This intermeddling led Caesar, who had but a 
small force with him, into conflict with the troops of the 
king. A fierce battle was fought in the city. Caesar suc- 
ceeded in firing the Egyptian fleet ; but unfortunately the 
flames extended to the celebrated Library of the city of 
Alexandria, and the greater part of the magnificent collec- 
tion of manuscripts was burnt. Csesar was finally success- 
ful : Ptolemy was killed, and Cleopatra was made queen of 
Egypt. From Alexandria Caesar marched into Pontus to 
attack Pharna'ces, son of Mithridates, whom he subdued so 



CIVIL STRIFE. 171 



quickly that he described the campaign in the most laconic 
despatch ever penned : Veni^ vtdi^ vici, — "I came, I saw, 
I conquered." 

115. The Pompeian forces that escaped from Pharsalia 
had established themselves in the Roman caesar's final 
province of Africa. They were commanded victory. 

by Scipio and Cato. Caesar having settled matters in the 
East now proceeded against this force, which he utterly 
destroyed at Thapsus, early in the year 46 b. c. Scipio and 
Cato killed themselves. One more rally the Pompeians 
made in Spain, but they were defeated by Caesar in the 
decisive battle of Munda (March, 45 b. c). 

116. Caesar returned to Rome after the battle of Thapsus, 
the master of the Roman dominion. The caesar and 
republic went out when Cato fell upon his *^^ state, 
sword at Utica ; the monarchy came in with the triumphal 
entry of Caesar into Rome in the summer of 46 b. c. It is 
true Caesar was not king {rex) in 7ia7ne^ but he was so in sub- 
stance. His position as chief of the state was this : he was in- 
vested with the dictatorship for ten years, — an arrangement 
changed soon afterwards to perpetual dictator, — and was 
hailed with the title of Imperator for life. The latter title, 
Jmperator (meaning Commander)^ was one which belonged 
under the republic to the victorious general ; but it was a 
temporary title, always laid aside with the surrender of mili- 
tary command. Caesar was allowed to use it in a special 
way and permanently, and in his case it had much the mean- 
ing of the term Emperor., — a word which is simply Imperator 
cut short. 

117. Julius Caesar was a strong, clear-sighted man, who 
plainly perceived that the old political system His views and 
of Rome had hopelessly broken down. He character, 
believed that peace and prosperity could come only under 
the firm and just rule of one man. He obtained power by 
overriding the laws, but he designed to use this power to the 



1/2 HISTORY OF ROME. 

best ends. " I will not," he said in one of his speeches, 
" renew the massacres of Sulla and Marius, the very remem- 
brance of which is shocking to me. Now that my enemies 
are subdued, I will lay aside the sword, and endeavor sole- 
ly by my good offices to gain over those who continue to 
hate me." 

118. Faithful to this promise, he pardoned all who had 
The work he bornc arms against him, and, by making no 
^^^- distinction of parties, labored, and with suc- 
cess, to bring about an " era of good feeling." He instituted 
a vigorous and honest administration of the provinces ; he 
encouraged trade and agriculture ; embellished Rome with 
temples, theaters, and public places ; undertook to drain the 
Pontine marshes and to dig a new bed for the Tiber ; 
reformed the calendar ; and projected a gigantic series of 
designs for improving and extending the empire he had 
acquired. Considering that from the time of his return 
to Rome down to his death there was but a brief interval 
of two years, it is wonderful what he accomplished. 

119. There can be no doubt that the Romans were well 
Feelings of the Satisfied to bc under the rule of Caesar. The 
Romans. republic was a mere name, for liberty had ex- 
pired when the Gracchi were murdered, and subsequent 
dissensions were merely contests for power between differ- 
ent factions. Hence the Roman people, weary of revolu- 
tion, were quite content to find peace under the just though 
absolute rule of one master. 

120. It is important to recognize this as the real state 
Real cause of of public feeling, because we shall now have 

Caesar's assas- ^ , /-. r n • ^' ^ • ^• 

sination. to scc that Caesar fell a victim to assassination, 

and it might be thought that his overthrow was the people's 
revolt from monarchical rule. But in truth it was the act of 
a small knot of conspirators who, with the cry of " Liberty 
and the Republic " in their mouths, did away with the Ira- 
perator to serve their own ends. 



CIVIL STRIFE. 



173 



121. The chiefs of the conspiracy were Caius Cassius 
and Marcus Junius Brutus. Both had received The conspir- 
great favors from Caesar ; but they thought they ^'^y- 

had not been honored enough, and they were intensely 
jealous of the dictator's greatness. These were joined by 
other malcontents, and the plotters swelled their ranks by 
representing that Caesar designed to assume the diadem 
and the title of king ; so that the conspiracy finally in- 
cluded about sixty senators. 

122. It is not certainly known whether or not Caesar 
thought of taking the name of king. It is cssar's am- 
known, however, that the consul, Mark An- ^ition. 
tony, at the feast of the Luperca^lia in the year 45 b. c, 
offered a regal crown to the dictator : he refused it, — it is 
said because he saw the people showed displeasure, — and 
Antony had it entered in the public acts, " that by the 
command of the people, he, as consul, had offered the name 
of king to Caisar, perpetual dictator ; and that Caesar would 
not accept of it." 

123. The plot ripened into a determination to assassinate 
Caesar, and the conspirators fixed on the Ides His assassi- 
(i. e. 15th) of March as the time of putting the "^^^o"- 
design into execution. Rumors of the plot got abroad, and 
Caesar was strongly urged not to attend the senate. But he 
disregarded the warnings which were given him. As soon 
as Caesar had taken his place, he was surrounded by the 
senatorial conspirators, one of whom, pretending to urge 
some request, seized his toga with both hands and pulled it 
violently over his arms. Then Casca, who was behind, 
drew a weapon and grazed his shoulder with an ill-directed 
stroke. Caesar disengaged one hand and snatched at the 
hilt, exclaiming, " Cursed Casca, what means this ? " " Help ! " 
cried Casca, and at the same moment the conspirators 
aimed each his dagger at the victim. Caesar for an instant 
defended himself ; but when he perceived the steel flashing 



174 



HISTORY OF ROME. 




C^SAR. 



in the hand of Brutus (Marcus Junius), he exclaimed, " What! 

thou too, Brutus!'''' (^Et tu, 

Brii'te !) and drawing his robe 

over his face he made no further 

resistance. The assassins stabbed 

him through and through ; and, 

pierced with twenty-three wounds, 

Caesar fell dead at the foot of 

the statue of his great rival, Pom- 

pey. 

124. Julius Caesar was in his 
Person of fif tv-sixth year, when, 
Ceesar. qj-^ ^^ \^\!i\ of March, B, c. 44, he was stricken 
down. His personal appearance was noble and command- 
ing ; he was tall in stature, of a fair complexion, and with 
black eyes full of expression. He never wore a beard ; 
in the latter part of his life his head was bald ; but being 
quite mindful of his personal appearance, he was in the 
habit of covering the defect with a laurel chaplet. 

125. Intellectually he was distinguished by the most ex- 

traordinary srenius in the most diversified pur- 

His mind. ^^ , 

suits. He was at once a general, a statesman, 
a lawgiver, an orator, a historian, a mathematician, and an 
architect, — and as he was pre-eminent in all, he would seem 
truly to deserve the name which Shakespeare gives him, — 

" The foremost man of all the world." 



126. Caesar was upwards of forty years of age before he 
Review of his became prominent in public affairs. In the 
career. x\^x^^ fourteen ycars he subdued Gaul, with its 

swarms of warlike nations ; carried the Roman eagles into 
Britain and beyond the Rhine ; twice conquered Spain ; 
marched through Italy at the head of the legions he had 
trained ; overthrew the armies of Pompey ; reduced Egypt 
to obedience ; conquered Pharnaces ; and won his final 



CIVIL STRIFE. 175 



triumph at Thapsus and Munda, — a series of campaigns 
that comprised fifty battles, and in which over one milUon 
of men fell. 

127. Yet his warlike career was but preliminary to his 
career as a statesman, when, ceasing to de- 

,1 , TT- • His plans. 

stroy, he began to create. His aim was vast 
and beneficent, — nothing less than the political, social, in- 
tellectual, and moral regeneration of the decayed Roman 
nation. He accomplished only a small part of his plan, yet 
the work he did still lives after wellnigh two thousand years, 
and what of it was wise and good remains a part of the per- 
manent possession of civilization. 

128. It is said that "revolutions never go backwards." 
Brutus and his fellow-conspirators struck down ^^^^x of Cse- 
Csesar in the name of liberty ; but the blow ^^""'^ death, 
that leveled the master of Rome did not bring back the 
republic, — it only insured the appearance of new claimants 
for supreme power, and consequently new civil wars. 

129. On the occasion of Caesar's funeral the consul, Mark 
Antony, delivered an oration over the dicta- 
tor's body, and to such a height did the feeling ^" 

of the Romans against the plotters rise, that Brutus and Cas- 
sius were obliged to escape forthwith from the city to avoid 
destruction. 

130. The condition of affairs left Mark Antony in some 
respect the representative of Caesarean princi- 

1 , ,. , . , Octavius. 

pies ; but a more direct claimant to the suc- 
cession appeared in Caesar's great-nephew, Caius Octavius, 
then a youth nineteen years old. The dictator had adopt- 
ed Octavius as his son ; so his nime became Caius Jillius 
Caesar Octavianus. Octavius had all the old soldiers on 
his side, and raised the standard of Caesar's vengeance. 

131. At first Antony and Octavius were at strife; but 
finally they became reconciled, and associating second trium- 
with them Lep'idus, the " master of the horse," Pirate. 



1/6 HISTORY OF ROME. 

the three formed the Second Triumvirate (43 b. c), and con- 
certed a plan to divide among themselves the supreme 
authority. In order to do this it was necessary utterly to 
crush both their personal enemies and the forces of the 
republic. 

132. To accomplish the first object, they began a system 
Their proscrip- ^^ proscription more ruthless and bloody than 
*'°"- that of Marius and Sulla. It is recorded that 
300 senators, 2000 knights, and many thousands of citizens 
were sacrificed. The most illustrious of the victims was 
the famous orator Cicero, whose severe invectives against 
Antony had procured him the relentless hatred of the tri- 
umvir. The aged patriot, while escaping from Rome in 
a litter, was assassinated. 

133. The second object was the destruction of the re- 
Battie of Phi- publican forces. Now Brutus and Cassius, 
^'PP^- finding their position in Italy to be desperate, 
had retired to the East, where in Thrace they gathered an 
army of about 100,000 men. Antony and Octavius pursued 
them with a still larger force, and the two armies met at 
Philippi. The republican army was totally defeated (No- 
vember, 42 B. c.) ; both Brutus and Cassius killed them- 
selves. 

134. The victors now divided the Roman world among 
Quarrels of thcmselvcs, — Autouy taking the East, Octa- 
the three. ^-^g ^^ Wcst, and Lcpidus the province of 
Africa. But the Roman world was scarcely theirs before 
they began to quarrel over it. The feeble Lepidus never 
possessed much influence, and was soon robbed of his share. 
After this it was quite certain that a contest between An- 
tony and Octavius could not long be delayed, and each be- 
gan to intrigue against the other. 

I35« Antony made the headquarters of his half of the 
Conduct of Roman dominion at Alexandria. Here he 
Antony. came under the fascinations of Cleopatra, and 



CIVIL STRIFE. 177 



he lost all regard to his character or his interests in her 
company. He even went so far as to divorce his wife Oc- 
tavia, the sister of Octavius, and, having married the volup- 
tuous Egyptian queen, he bestowed Roman provinces on her. 

136. This conduct was treasonable, and furnished Octa- 
vius with a decent pretext for declaring war. Battle of 
The young Caesar had been gaining great pop- ''^«=ti""i. 
ularity in Italy ; he had consolidated his power and had his 
legions in fine training. The fleets and armies of the rivals 
assembled at the opposite sides of the Gulf of Ambracia. 
After considerable delay, Antony, instigated by Cleopatra, 
who was present with her Egyptian fleet, determined to de- 
cide the contest by a naval battle. The contest took place 
oif the promontory of Ac'tium (on the west coast of Greece), 
while the hostile armies, drawn up on the shore, were sim- 
ple spectators. In the midst of the conflict Cleopatra 
tacked about, and with the Egyptian squadron of sixty sail 
drew out of the fight. Antony, regardless of his honor, 
followed after her, and the pair fled to Alexandria. Both 
the fleet and the force of Antony surrendered to Octavius, 
31 B. c. 

137. Some months afterwards Octavius advanced to be- 
siege Alexandria. Antony attempted to de- End of An- 
fend it ; but he was abandoned by his troops. *°"y' 
Cleopatra retired to a monument she had erected, and 
caused a report to be spread of her death. Upon this news 
Antony attempted to commit suicide, and inflicted on himself 
a mortal wound : hearing, however, in the midst of his ago- 
nies, that Cleopatra still lived, he caused himself to be 
carried to her monument, and expired in her presence 
(30 B. c). 

138. The end of Cleopatra was even more tragic. The 
Egyptian queen seems at first to have thought 

that she would be able to bewitch the young ^°^^ ^^' 
Caesar ; but having in vain essayed her arts or the cold, 

8* L 



178 



HISTORY OF ROME. 



calculating Octavius, she, sooner than be led in chains to 
adorn the triumph of the victor, and glut the eyes of the 
populace of Rome with the sight of the daughter and last 
of the Ptolemies preceding the chariot of the adopted son 
of him who had done homage to her charms, gave herself 
voluntary death by the bite of an asp, or the scratch of a 
poisoned needle. Egypt now became a Roman province 
(30 B. c). 

139. There was now no one left to withstand Octavius 
Triumph of Cassar, who thus remained sole master of the 
Octavius. great dominion which the mighty Julius had 

prepared for him. The senate, in fact, was ready to concede 
to him the entire authority. He indeed went through the 
farce, soon after his return to Rome, of resigning the im- 
peratorship ; but he was prevailed on to resume it for ten 
years, and every ten years after to re-resume it. Gradually 
all the great offices were united in his person, and he be- 
came in fact Emperor of the Roman world. We may count 
the Roman Empire as beginning with the year b. c. 27, 
when Octavius was saluted with the new and peculiar title 
of Augustus. 



ANALYTIC SYNOPSIS FOR REVIEW. 



I. Rome under the kings. 



General 
Statement. 



Rome is believed to have been 
founded as a frontier post by the 
Latins of Alba Longa ; but it was 
from the first almost independent, 
then wholly so, and finally ac- 
quired an ascendency over all 
the other Latin cities. The num- 
ber of kings is said to have been 
seven ; but their history is almost 
wholly fabulous. Regal rule was 
ended by the banishment of Tar- 
quin. 



LEADING DATES. 



Founding of Rome 753 



End of kingly rule 509 



ANALYTIC SYNOPSIS. 



79 



First Epoch, Roman Republic (509-390). 



General 
Statement. 



The first epoch of 119 years 
from the establishment of the re- 
public was a period of struggle 
external and internal. The Ro- 
mans had to contend, for their 
mere existence, with the various 
neighboring states, and during 
this epoch they went rather back- 
wards than forwards, as regards 
the extent of their territory. 
There was also a struggle of 
classes, owing to the oppression 
of the Plebeians by the Patri- 
cians ; but finally the Plebs were 
allowed to elect magistrates 
called tribunes. Soon after, the 
unwritten Roman law was em- 
bodied in the Twelve Tables. 
Various changes were made in 
the administration of the govern- 
ment, decemvirs taking the place 
of consuls, and military tribunes 
the place of decemvirs. In this 
unsettled state of affairs Rome 
fell a prey to the Gauls, who 
^ burned the city. 



Establishment of 
the Republic 509 



Secession of the 
Plebeians 493 



Laws of the 
Twelve Tables.. 451 



Military tribunes 
appointed 



Rome captured by 
the Gauls 390 



Licinian 
passed. 



Second Epoch, Roman Republic (390-266). 

The Plebeians were again griev- | 
ously oppressed by the Patricians, 
and troubles ensued, but a set- 
tlement was made by the Licin- 
ian constitution, which remedied 
abuses With the cessation of 
internal troubles the Romans be- 
gan a career of conquest. First, 
there were the " Samnite " wars 
and the " Latin " wars These 
General wars ended in the complete sub- 



Statement. \ jugation of the.->e nations and the 



laws 



367 



Beginning of Sam- 
nite wars 343 

Beginning of Latin 
wars 340 

End of Samnite 
wars 290 



i8o 



HISTORY OF ROME. 



mastery of Rome over all Cen- 
tral Italy. The Romans now 
turned their attention to Southern 
or Grecian Italy, where they had 
to meet Pyrrhus in several bat- 
tles. At first defeated, they were 
finally successfiil ; Pyrrhus was 
compelled to abandon his project, 
and the southern part of Italy 
was conquered, thus giving the 
Romans mastery over the whole 
Italian peninsula. 



Battle of Pandosia 
Battle of Asculum 



Battle of Beneven- 
tum 



Romans masters 
of all Italy 



280 

279 i 

275 



266 



General 
Statement. ' 



Third Epoch, Roman Republic (266-133). 

The era of foreign conquest 
lasted 133 years (266- 133). First 
the Romans attacked the Cartha- 
ginians, their great rivals. This 
mighty contest ran through three 
wars known as the three Punic 
wars. In the first, lasting 23 
years, the Carthaginians were 
unsuccessful. The Romans after 
this conquered Cisalpine Gaul. 
Hamilcar now became general -in- 
chief of the Carthaginians, and on 
his death his greater son Hannibal 
came into command. Hannibal 
took the aggressive in Spain, and 
thus began the second Punic War 
He won brilliant victories, and 
maintained himself fifteen years 
in Italy ; but finally was recalled 
to Carthage and was defeated by 
the Romans at Zama. Soon 
after the second Punic War the 
Romans conquered Macedon and 
Greece, and made them Roman 
provinces. The third Punic War 
was marked by the siege of Car- 
thage, and resulted in the utter 
annihilation of the Carthaginian 
I power. 



Beginning of first 
Punic War 264 

End of first Punic 
War 241 

Conquest of Cisal- 
pine Gaul 222 



Beginning of sec- 
ond Punic War. 218 



Battle of Zama, 
and end of second 
Punic War 202 



Battle of Pydna... 

Greece made a Ro- 
man province 

Burning of Car- 
thage, and end 
of Punic wars... 



168 
146 

146 



ANALYTIC SYNOPSIS. 



I8l 



Fourth Epoch, Roman Republic (133-27). 

The long civil strife which fol- 
lowed Rome's foreign wars re- 
sulted from the desperate poverty 
of the Plebeian class. This class 
found two champions in the Grac- 
chi, but both were victims to the 
rage of the aristocracy. The first 
Mithridatic war now ensued, but 
was successfully ended by Sulla. 
Then came the bloody days of 
Marius and Sulla. Subsequently 
Pompey rose to power. He had 
been the leader of the aristocracy, 
but went over to the people's 
party, he, Julius Caesar, and Cras- 
sus forming the First Triumvi- 
rate. Caesar went into Gaul, 
where he prosecuted his cam- 
paigns for eight years ; but Pom- 
pey intrigued against him ; so he 
crossed the Rubicon and made 
himself iTKister of Italy. The de- 
cisive battle between Caesar and 
Pompey was fought at Pharsalia, 
Caesar being successful ; the 
remnant of the Pompeian forces 
was crushed at Thapsus. Cae- 
sar was now master ; but a con- 
spiracy was formed against him, 
and he was assassinated. After 
the death of Caesar his nephew 
Octavius formed with Antony and 
Lepidus the Second Triumvirate. 
Octavius led his forces against 
Brutus and Cassius, defeating 
them at Philippi. Antony and 
Octavius now quarreled, but the 
dispute was settled in favor of the 
latter by the battle of Actium, 
and soon after Octavius assumed 



General 
Statement. 



the title of Augustus Caesar. 
13 



Agrarian law 
brought for- 
ward by T. 
Gracchus 133 

Death of C. Grac- 
chus 121 

Outbreak of first 
Mithridatic war 86 

Massacres by Ma- 
rius 86 

Sulla's proscrip- 
tions 83 



First Triumvirate 60 

Caesar's Gallic 
campaign 58-50 

Crossing of the 
Rubicon 49 

Battle of Phar- 
salia 48 

Battle of Thap- 
sus 46 

Assassination of 
Csesar 44 

Second Triumvi- 
rate 43 



Battle of Philippi. 42 



Battle of Actium. 



31 



Octavius (Augus- 
tus) becomes 
Emperor 27 



1 82 HISTORY OF ROME. 



CHAPTER IV. 

ROME AS AN EMPIRE. 

I. AGE OF AUGUSTUS. 

140. When Augustus Caesar at the age of thirty-six 
Nature of the became master of the Roman world, there was | 
imperial rule. ^^ open cstabUshment of a monarchical gov- J 
ernment. On the contrary, most of the old republican ' 
forms were kept up ; but they were mere forms. The 
senate still sat, but it did little more than vote what Augus- 
tus wished ; the people still met in their assemblies and 
elected consuls and magistrates, but only such persons were 
elected as had been proposed or recommended by the 
Emperor. Augustus, however, assumed nothing of the out- 
ward pomp of a monarch : he was satisfied with the stih- 
stance of supreme rule. The almost uninterrupted festivi- 
ties, games, and distributions of corn and the like kept the 
people out of politics ; and, what through degeneracy, and 
what through despair, they were willing to be out of 
politics ! 

141. The boundaries of the Roman Empire as estab- 
Extent of the Hshed by Augustus may be stated in a general 
Empire. ^y^y ^g follows : On the north, the British 
Channel, the North Sea (Mare German'icum), the Rhine, 
the Danube (Ister), and the Black Sea (Pontus Euxi'nus) ; 
on the east, the Euphrates and the Desert of Syria ; on the 
south, the Sahara of Africa ; and on the west, the Atlantic 
Ocean. It extended from east to west a distance of fifty 
degrees, or about 2700 miles, and had an average breadth 
of about fifteen degrees, or above 1000 miles. 

142. The Roman Empire took in the modern countries 
of Portugal, Spain, France, Belgium, Western Holland, 



frU''^ h;>^ ° ^^ J^I A N I C UM ^JJ I c^, 










tBi mmm mmm 

at its greatest extent 
2nd.CENTURyA.D. 

SCALE OF MILES 



Xonaiiude J-'aat 



/rum Ti'ashirKfii/it 



AGE OF AUGUSTUS. 1 83 

Rhenish Prussia, parts of Baden and Wurtemberg, most of 
Bavaria, Switzerland, Italy, the Tyrol, Austria countries in- 
Proper, Western Hungary, Croa'tia, Slavo'nia, eluded. 
Servia, Turkey in Europe, Greece, Asia Minor, Syria, 
Palestine, Idumae'a, Egypt, the Cyrena'ica, Tripoli, Tunis, 
Algeria, and most of Morocco. 

143. The entire Empire, exclusive of Italy, was divided 
into 27 "Provinces," which may be con- 

^ ProvincGs 

veniently grouped under three heads : i. The 
Western, or European ; 2. The Eastern, or Asiatic ; 3. The 
Southern, or African. The Western provinces numbered 
14; the Eastern, 8; the Southern, 5.* 

144. Within the circuit of the Roman dominion there 
were what we may call three civilizations : The three civ- 
the Latin, the Greek, and the Oriental. Latin iii^ations. 
civilization took in the countries from the Atlantic Ocean 
to the Adriatic ; Greek civilization, from the Adriatic to 
Mount Taurus ; Oriental civilization, the lands beyond to 
the Euphrates. 

145* The area of Latin civilization embraced the penin- 
sula of Italy (its native seat) and all Western 
Europe, where the Romans appeared not only 
as a conquering but also as a civilizing people. Thus in 
the three provinces of Spain (Hispania), in the four prov- 
inces of Transalpine Gaul (corresponding nearly with the 
modern France), as well as in the North African provinces, 
especially Carthage (which was restored by Caesar as a 
Roman colony), the Latin language took firm root, and the 
manners and customs, and indeed the whole civilization, of 
those lands became Roman. 

146. Greek civilization was spread over Greece and all 
those parts of Europe and Asia that had been 
Hellenized by Grecian colonists or by the 

* Name these from the map opposite p. 182. 



1 84 HISTORY OF ROME. 

Macedonian conquerors. In manners, customs, language, 
and culture these lands remained Greek, while politically 
they were Roman. 

147. Oriental civilization was diffused over the East- 

ern provinces, especially Egypt and Syria. 

These countries had, under the rule of Alexan- 
der's successors, become to some degree Hellenized ; but 
this influence was on the whole superficial. The peoples 
of those Oriental lands had never given up their own 
languages or religious ideas or ways of thinking. Now 
these peoples, it should be said, did not become Latinized 
either, — they did not adopt the language and civilization 
of Rome. 

148. Within the limits of the Roman Empire under 

Augustus there may have been in all one 

Government. "^^ % tvt ^ i 

HUNDRED MILLIONS 01 human beings. Not less 
than one half were in a condition of slavery ; and of the 
rest, only that small proportion who, under the envied 
name of Roman citizen {civis Romaniis), inhabited Italy, 
enjoyed political independence, or had the smallest share 
in the government. The various lands and peoples were 
under Roman legates (half of these appointed by Augustus 
and the other half by the Senate), who held supreme mili- 
tary command. To the provinces were left, however, their 
independent municipal constitutions and ofBcers. In Rome 
and Italy the public peace was preserved by the Pretoria n 
cohorts, — bodies of soldiers of tried valor, to whom Augus- 
tus gave double pay. Throughout the provinces the people 
were kept in check by the regular troops, — numbering 
350,000 men. 

149. Of this vast Empire Rome was the metropolis, now 

a city of innumerable streets and buildings, 
The capitaL ^^^ containing, it is calculated, a population 
of about two millions and a half. It was in this period that 
Rome became truly a splendid city. Augustus was able to 
boast that " he found the city brick and left it marble." 



AGE OF AUGUSTUS. 



185 



150. In the days of its greatest prosperity the circumfer- 
ence of Rome enclosed by walls was about ^ 

■' Its extent. 

twenty miles; but there were also very exten- 
sive suburbs. The walls were pierced by thirty gates. The 
most remarkable objects were the Coliseum, the Capitol 
with its temples, the Senate-House, and the Forum. 

151. The great circus, or Circus Maximus, a place reserved 
for public games, races and shows, was one circus and 

of the most magnificent structures of Rome. It CoUseum. 
was capable of containing 200,000 spectators. The Flavian 
Amphitheater, whose massive ruins are known as the Coli- 
seum, could seat from 80,000 to 100,000 persons. In the 
arena were exhibited the fights of gladiators, in which the 
Romans took such savage delight, together with races, com- 
bats of wild beasts, etc. Theaters, public baths, etc., were 




The Coliseum. 



erected by the emperors, who seemed anxious to compen- 
sate the people for their loss of liberty by the magnificence 
f of their public shows and entertainments. 



i86 



HISTORY OF ROME. 



Forum. 



152. In the valley between the Palatine and Cap'itoline 
hills was the Fonun^ or place of public assem- 
bly, and the great market. It was surrounded 

with temples, halls for the administration of justice (called 
basil'icce), and public offices ; it was also adorned with 
statues erected in honor of eminent warriors and statesmen, 
and with various trophies from conquered nations. 

153. In the Forum was the celebrated Temple of Janus, 
Temple of built entirely of bronze and dating back to the 
•1^""^- early kingly period. From some early circum- 
stance the custom was established of closing the gates of 
this temple during peace ; but so incessant were the wars 
of the Romans, that during eight centuries the gates of the 
Temple of Janus were closed only three times. 




S^'~^ <o 2 « o ^g 3 

il^liiiiill 



500 1000 yards 



AGE OF AUGUSTUS. 1 8/ 

154. The elections of magistrates, reviews of troops, and 
the census or registration of citizens, were campus Mar- 
held in the Campus Martius, which was also ^*"^- 

the favorite exercise-ground of the young nobles. It was 
surrounded by several splendid edifices ; ornamental trees 
and shrubs were planted in different parts, and porticoes 
erected under which the citizens might continue their 
exercise in rainy weather. Hard by was the celebrated 
Pantheon, or Temple of All the Gods (erected in the reign of 
Augustus), the most perfect and splendid monument of 
ancient Rome that has survived the ravages of time. 

155. The aqueducts were among the most remarkable 
Roman structures. Pure streams were sought 

at a great distance, and conveyed in these 
artificial channels, supported by arches, many of which were 
more than a hundred feet high. Under the emperors, not 
fewer than twenty of these stupendous and useful structures 
were raised ; and they brought such an abundant supply of 
water to the metropolis, that rivers seemed to flow through 
the streets and sewers. 

156. Rome was inferior to Athens in architectural 
beauty, but it far surpassed the Grecian city in General de- 
works of public utility. To enumerate all the scnption. 
notable edifices would be impossible here ; but we may sum 
up the matter by saying that the " Eternal City " in the 
zenith of its glory contained four hundred and twenty 
temples, five regular theaters, two amphitheaters, and seven 
circuses of vast extent. There were sixteen public baths 
built of marble, and furnished with every convenience that 
could be desired. From the aqueducts a prodigiotis num- 
ber of fountains was supplied, many of which were remark- 
able for their architectural beauty. The palaces, public 
halls, columns, porticoes, and obelisks were without num- 
ber, and to these must be added the triumphal arches 
erected by the later emperors. 



1 88 HISTORY OF ROME. 

157. As the peace of the Roman world was maintained 

by the strons: hand of power, it was at this time 

Literature. / *? , , i , • 

that many of those arts that grow best durmg 
seasons of national order and prosperity made their greatest 
progress. Thus many of the best-known Latin writers lived 
at this time. Augustus himself was a great patron of literary 
men and artists, and so was his minister, Caius Cilnius 
Maece'nas. They honored and rewarded eminent writers ; 
and though we must not forget that many of the distin- 
guished men whose writings add luster to the " Augustan 
age " had gi'own up under the republic, still Augustus de- 
serves credit for fostering letters. Nothing will make up 
for the loss of political freedom ; but it is something that 
in Rome, when liberty was lost, literature at least flourished. 

158. Among the distingiiished writers of this age or the 
times immediately preceding it are : — 

Virgil, the author of the epic poem the ^ne'id, a graceful, if not an 

original, writer. 
Horace, author of many poems, odes, satires, and epistles ; a witty, 

good-humored, and most vivacious song-writer. 
Sallust, the historian of the Jugurthine War and the Conspiracy of 

Catiline ; a very spirited writer. 
Lucre'tius, a writer of didactic poetry, containing passages of noble 

eloquence and philosophy, along with much that is characteristic of 

the low tone of thought prevalent in the pagan world 
Catul'lus, author of lyrics that are among the sweetest and most truly 

poetic things in the Latin language. 

159. These are the most distinguished names in the 

Aup:ustan ae^e, and they are amone the most 

Later writers. _. ^. . , , • ^^ ^ ^^ * j 

distmguished m all Roman literature. And 
as we shall have no further occasion to recur to Roman 
literature, we may simply note here among subsequent 
writers, — Livy, the great historian of Rome ; Ovid, the 
poet ; Martial, the writer of epigrams ; Pliny, the writer od 
natural history (killed 79 a. d. by the great eruption from 
Vesuvius, which buried the cities of Pompeii and Hercula- 



AGE OF AUGUSTUS. 1 89 

neum) ; JuVenal, the bitter satirist ; and Tacitus, the philo- 
sophic historian of the decHning glories of Rome. 

160. The reign of Augustus is rendered memorable by 
the birth of Christ at the little village of Birth of 
Bethlehem, in Judaea, — the most momentous ^^''^^t. 
event in the spiritual history of the world. Reckoned in 
our common era, this event took place in the year 4 b. c* 

161. Augustus died in 14 a. d. ; so that, counting from 
his formal accession to title, 27 b. c, he ruled Reign of 
over the Roman dominion for forty-one years. Augustus. 

162. Augustus was succeeded by his step-son, Tibe'rius 
Clau'dius Nero. It must be remembered that 

, _, 111 His successor. 

the Roman government was not legally a 
monarchy ; hence Augustus's heir was not necessarily the 
heir of his power. But the Emperor had adopted Tiberius 
as his own son, and the subservient senate voted him all 
thelionors Augustus had held. 

163. In the note below t the scholar will find a reference 

* Our method of counting time was not introduced till the year 532 
A. D The calculation was erroneous, and it was found ten centuries 
afterward to be deficient four years of the true period ; but as the alter- 
ation of a system that had then been adopted by nearly all Europe would 
have made great confusion in civil and ecclesiastical affairs, the error 
was, by general consent, allowed to remain, and we continue to reckon 
from this era (A. D., anjw domini, that is, "in the year of our Lord"), 
which, however, lacks four years and six days of the real Christian epoch. 

t The following table gives a list of the Roman Emperors, with the 
dates of their reigns : 

A. D. A. D. A. D. A. D. 



A ugustus 14 

Tiberius. 14- 37 

Caligula 37- 41 

Claudius 41- 54 

Nero 54- 68 

Galba 68- 69 

Otho 69- 69 

Vitellius 69-69 

Vespasian 69- 79 

Titus 79- 81 



Domitian 81 - 96 

Nerva 96- 98 

Trajan 98-117 

Hadrian 117- 138 

Antoninus Pius 138- 161 

( M. Aurelius 161 -180 

] L. Verus 161 -169 

Commodus 180- 192 

Pertinax 193-193 

Julianas 193 - 193 



1 90 



HISTORY OF ROME. 



table of the Roman emperors, from Augustus to Augustu- 
Reference ^^^s, 476 A. D. It is not the plan of this book 

*^^^^- to make Roman history turn on the personal 

fortunes of the emperors or the intrigues of their courts, — 
insignificant details with which history has been entirely too 
much taken up. Hence it will be enough to refer to the 
table from time to time as we take up under separate heads 
the great events of the Roman world. 



Septimius Severus 193 ■ 

( Caracalla 211- 

\ Geta 211- 

Macrinus 217- 

Elagabalus 2i8- 

Alexander Severus 222 

Maximinus 235 • 

( Gordianus I. ( ^ 

( Gordianus \\.\ ^ 

( Pupienus Maximus ) g 

( Balbinus S ^ 

Gordianus III 238 

Philippus 244 

Decius 249 

Trebonianus Gallus 251 

^milianus 253 

( Valerian 253 

( Gallienus 253 

Claudius II 268 

Aurelian 270 

Tacitus 275 

Florianus 276 

Probus 276 

Carus 282 

( Carinas 

I Numerianus 

( Diocletian 284 

\ Maximian 286 

C Constantius 1 305 



211 
217 
212 
218 

222 

•235 
238 

•238 

238 

-244 
■249 
■251 
-254 
■253 
260 
-268 
-270 

■275 
-276 
-276 
-282 
-283 

283-284 

305 
■305 
■306 



Galerius 305 -311 

Constantinel.theGreat 306-337 

Licinius 307 - 323 

Constantine II 337-34° 

Constantius II 337-361 

Constans 1 337-35° 

Julian 361-363 

Jovian 363-364 

Valentinian 1 364-375 

Gratian 375-3^3 

Valentinian II 383-392 

Theodosius 1 392 - 395 

(Emperor of the West as 
well as of the East.) 

Honorius 395-423 

Theodosius II 423-425 

Valentinian III 425-455 

Petronius Maximus. . . . 455-455 

Avitus 455-456 

Majorian 457-461 

Libius Severus. .. 7 ... . 461-465 

Anthemius 467-472 

Olybrius 472-472 

Glycerins 473-474 

Julius Nepos 474-475 

Romulus Augustulus.. . 475-476 
(Last Emperor of the 
West.) 



POLITICAL HISTORY. I9I 

2. POLITICAL HISTORY. 

164. During nearly three centuries after the death of 
Augustus, the empire remained, as far as Kind of gov- 
political arrangements were concerned, pretty ernment. 
nearly as he had left it. Though the senate still continued 
to sit, and consuls to be elected, yet the Roman world soon 
became thoroughly accustomed to the rule of one man. At 
first, the empire was inherited as a birthright by those who 
could claim descent from Augustus, or who had been 
adopted into the family. Nero was in reality the last 
emperor of the family of Augustus, though all who suc- 
ceeded to the empire still went on calling themselves 
Ccesar and Augustus to the last. 

165. It soon came about that the real power behind the 
throne was the soldiery. The troops, and Pretorian 
especially the " Pretorian Guard," took it Guard, 
upon themselves to dispose of the sovereignty as it pleased 
them, and it was rare that the senate ventured to refuse to 
register the decree of the soldiers. To raise favorite gen- 
erals to the purple, and then to murder them for the sake 
of the largesses which it was customary to receive in case 
of a new accession, was the favorite pastime of the troops ; 
and it sometimes happened that there were several em- 
perors at the same time, different armies throughout the 
empire having each appointed one. 

166. Augustus bequeathed as a valuable legacy to his 
successors the advice of confining the empire Growth of the 
within those limits which nature seemed to ^'"pi^'e- 
have placed as its permanent boundaries : on the west, the 
Atlantic Ocean ; the Rhine and the Danube on the north ; 
the Euphrates on the east ; and on the south the deserts of 
Africa and Arabia. The only accession which the Roman 
Empire received during the first century of the Christian era 
was the province of Britain. " After a war of about forty 
years, undertaken by the most stupid [Claudius], maintained 



192 HISTORY OF ROME. 

by the most dissolute [Nero], and terminated by the most 
timid [Domi'tian] of all the emperors, the greater part of 
the island of Britain submitted to the Roman yoke."* The 
next addition to the Roman territory was made by Trajan 
in the early part of the 2d century. This consisted of the 
province of Dacia, which was bounded by the Dnei'ster, the 
Theiss, the Lower Danube, and the Euxine Sea. 

167. It has already been seen that the Roman Empire 
Roman ciLizen- consistcd of Italy and the Provinces, and that 
^^'P- in point of government the two divisions were 
on a very different footing. The inhabitants of Italy were 
Roman citizens, whereas the provincials were under the 
military rule of Roman officials, — legates and proconsuls. 
But the same salutary maxims of government which had se- 
cured the peace and obedience of Italy were little by little 
extended to the countries outside of Italy. A nation of 
Romans was gradually formed in the provinces by the 
double expedient of introducing colonies and of admitting 
the most faithful and deserving of the provincials to the 
freedom of Rome. Finally, in the time of Caracal'la, in 
the early part of the 3d century a. d. (2 i i - 2 i 7), the old 
distinction between Romans and provincials was wholly 
abolished. Roman citizenship was given to all the free in- 
habitants of the empire. 

168. By this time the Latinizing of the Western provinces 
Latinizing of was Completely effected ; that is to say, in lan- 
ihe provinces, guagc, manners, and ideas, the inhabitants of 
Gaul, Spain, Northern Africa, and Illyria had become thor- 
ough Romans. A very interesting proof of this is furnished 
by the fact that many of the best and bravest of the later 
emperors were provincials, or barbarians., as they would be- 
fore this have been called. 

169. When there ceased to be any distinction between 
Italy and the rest of the Roman Empire, the importance 

* Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. 



POLITICAL HISTORY. 1 93 

of Rome as the center of the imperial dominion was very 
much diminished. This change is marked by Rome loses its 
the fact that, in later times, Rome was quite importance, 
forsaken by the emperors, who found it better to live near 
ihe frontiers, whence they could keep watch against outside 
foes ; and it is still more emphatically marked by a new order 
of things, which was begun by the Emperor Diocle'tian. 

170. Diocletian (283 - 305 a. d.) was one of a series of 
able Illyrians that rose to the purple. Finding Division of 
the unwieldy mass too great for the adminis- P°wer. 
tration of a single individual, he took a general named Max- 
im'ian as his colleague : he divided the imperial power be- 
tween himself and Maximian, Diocletian retaining the East, 
while Maximian ruled over the Western, or Latin-speaking, 
peoples. Not content with this division, Diocletian took 
an assistant and made his colleague do the same. These 
sub-rulers were called Ccesars, and it was intended that they 
should afterwards succeed to the imperial power. This ar- 
rangement did not last long, and, after various struggles, the 
whole empire was reunited under Constantine the Great, in 
A. D. 323. 

171. Constantine made a change which had a great effect 
upon the later history of the Roman world. 

^ •' . Constantine. 

He removed the capital of the empire to the 
old Greek city of Byzan'tium, on the Bos'phorus, which he 
greatly enlarged and called New Rome^ but which has been 
better known ever since as Constantino'ple (Greek polis, a 
city, — the city of CoJistantinc). Even before this, Rome 
had, as we have seen, ceased to be the usual dwelling-place 
of the emperors, who commonly lived at Milan, Nicome'di.i 
(Bithyn'ia), and elsewhere; but the transfer of the capital 
to a Greek city is a proof of how completely the Eifipire 
had come to overshadow Rome and Italy. 

172. Theodosius I. was the last Emperor ^j^gQ^Qsjug 
who reigned over the whole Roman Empire. On 

9 M 



194 HISTORY OF ROME. 



his death, in a d. 395, the vast dominion was divided be- 
tween his two sons, — Honorius ruling in the West, and 

Area dius in the East. 

173. From that dare the histon- of Rome divides itself 
Division of the if'to two distinct histories, — that of the West- 
empire, ^j-j^ Qj. Lai^in Empire, and that of the Eastern, 
Greek, or B\-zan'tine Empire. As to the Eastern Empire, 
we shall have to follow its histon- doN\m through the Middle 
Ages, till its destruction by the Turks in the 15th centur\-. 
But for the present, it is with the Western Empire alone 
that we are concerned, for with the fall of the Western 
Roman Empire ancient histon.- ends. This downfall took 
place in the year 476 a. d. : but we shall defer to a subse- 
quent secuon die narrative of the last days of Rome. 

3. SPREAD OF CHRISTIANITY. 

174. While the political events about which we have just 
The new learned, and which hlled up the live centuries 
power. (^£ imperial Rome, were taking place, a change 
far more momentous than any political revolution was 
coming over the minds of men. This was the might}- moral 
transformation effected by Christianit}'. 

175. Ii^ the time of Augustus the different peoples and 
State of the nations under the Roman swav had a sjeat 

world at the . .... . i, • ,' i 

birth of chnst. vaoet}- of religions, but all, with the exception 
of the Je^^-s, were pagans and pohtheists. While Augustus 
was ruling o\-er a hundred millions of fellow-polytheists. there 
took place in an obscure comer of the Roman dominion 
an event the importance of which the wisest Roman could 
not have foreseen. This was the birth of Christ, the founder 
of a religion which was to overspread the poh-theistic na- 
tions, dissolve the ancient creeds and philosophies, and 
renovate the faith, the thoughts, the whole life of the civil- 
ized world. Now the diffusion of Christianit}- was power- 



SPREAD OF CHRISTIANITY 1 95 

fully aided by \\i^factoi the Roman Empire, — by the unity 
of government under the empire ; hence it has been truly 
said that " the Roman empire may be defined as a compul- 
sory assemblage of polytheistic nations in order that Chris^ 
tianity might operate over a large surface at once of that 
polytheism which it was to supersede and destroy." 

176. Jesus Christ was crucified in the nineteenth year 
of the reign of Tiberius. At Antioch, in Syria, pirst spread of 
where Barnabas and Saul taught the faith, the Christianity, 
disciples were first called " Christians." And then began 
those journeys by which St. Paul carried the gospel through 
Asia Minor and Greece, until he was himself carried a 
prisoner to Rome, to die there in the reign of Nero. The 
Christian religion silently but surely spread itself ; first 
among the Jews, then among the Greeks, or eastern, and 
lastly, among the Latin, or western. Gentiles. 

177. The existence of Christianity in the Roman Empire 
is first signalized by the persecutions to which Nero's perse- 
the Christians were subjected. In the reign ^utions. 

of the brutal Nero the first persecution took place, but it 
was confined to the city of Rome. A great fire, which con- 
sumed a large part of the city, took place. Men said that 
the emperor's own hand had kindled the flame, out of mere 
madness, and that, while the burning continued, he sat 
calmly looking on, singing verses to the music of his lyre. 
To divert suspicion from himself, Nero resolved to direct it 
upon the Christians. We shall tell the sequel in the lan- 
guage of Tacitus, the great Roman historian, who was born 
during the reign of Nero. The passage which we quote is 
of great interest, because it contains the earliest mention, 
by any profane writer, of the name of Christ. 

"With this view [that is, to divert suspicion], Nero inflicted the most 
exquisite tortures on those men who, under the vulgar appellation of 
Christians, were already branded with deserved infamy. They derived 
their name and origin from one Christ, who in the reign of Tiberius had 



196 HISTORY OF ROME. 

suffered death by the sentence of the procurator Pontius Pilate. For a 
while this dire superstition was checked, but it again burst forth ; and 
not only spread itself over Judaea, the first seat of this mischievous sect, 
but was even introduced into Rome, the common asylum which receives 
and protects whatever is impure, whatever is atrocious. The confessions 
of those who were seized discovered a great multitude of their accom- 
plices, and they were all convicted, not so much for the crime of setting 
fire to the city, as for their hatred of human kind. Some were nailed on 
crosses, others sewn up in the skins of wild beasts and exposed to the 
fury of dogs ; others, again, smeared over with combustible materials, 
were used as torches to illuminate the darkness of the night. The gar- 
dens of Nero were destined for the melancholy spectacle, which was 
accompanied with a horse-race, and honored with the presence of the 
emperor, who mingled with the populace in the dress and attitude of a 
charioteer. The guilt of the Christians deserved indeed the most ex- 
emplary punishment, but the public abhorrence was changed into com- 
miseration, from the opinion that those unhappy wretches were sacrificed, 
not so much to the public welfare, as to the cruelty of a jealous tyrant. "* 

178. A question here arises : Why was it that many of 
Real causes of the cmperors who saw without concern a 

the persecu- , ^, . ^ ,. . .... 

tions. thousand forms of rehgion subsistmg m peace 

beneath their sway, singled out the sect of the Christians to 
make them the sole objects of persecution ? The answer to 
this question is found in several facts. And first, in the 
proselyting ardor of the Christians. The empire was tol- 
erant of all faiths ; but it was not tolerant of a faith which 
taught that the gods of Rome and of all other nations were 
alike false, and which strove to win over all mankind to 
that belief. Then the Roman mind, while it looked with 
respect on all national faiths, viewed with suspicion and dis- 
gust a creed that was not sanctioned by the belief of any 
nation^ but was held only by a sect. Moreover, the early 
Christians were in the habit of holding their meetings 
secretly and at night ; this was regarded as illegal in prin- 
ciple, and as possibly dangerous in results. Summing up 
the several facts, we may say that the persecutions of the 

* Tacitus, Annals, XV. 44. 



SPREAD OF CHRISTIANITY. 197 



Christians were owing to political reasons rather than to 
religious intolerance. 

179. A striking proof of this is found in the fact that the 
Christians suffered most under good and re- 
forming princes like Trajan and Marcus Au- 

relius, men of pure and humane character, while under the 
infamous emperors they were generally let alone. 

180. In spite of persecution the Church constantly ad- 
vanced and made converts, and in the first Growth of 
half of the 3d century, which was a period of Christianity, 
calm, the Christians were permitted to erect and consecrate 
convenient edifices for the purpose of religious worship ; to 
purchase lands, even at Rome itself, for the use Of the com- 
munity ; and to conduct the elections of their ecclesiastical 
ministers in a public manner. Notwithstanding severe per- 
secutions under Decius and Vale'rian, the doctrines of Chris- 
tianity continued to spread among all classes of people 
everywhere. Indeed, it almost seemed that these persecu- 
tions were needed for the sifting of the Church ; the gold 
was tested and refined in a fiery furnace, and, like a sturdy 
young oak, Christianity, amid all these great and frequent 
storms, only struck its roots the deeper into the soil. 

181. At last it became plain that a deadly struggle be- 
tween the old faith and the new was inevitable, Diocletian's 
and this came in the reign of Diocletian and persecutions. 
Maximian, at the commencement of the 4th century a. d. 
Gale'rius, the son-in-law of Diocletian, and the Ccesar under 
him, was a special enemy of the Christians, and he per- 
suaded the emperor to issue an edict (February 24, a. d. 303) 
commanding all Christian churches to be pulled down, all 
Bibles to be flung into the fire, and all Christians to be de- 
graded from rank and honor. Scarcely was the proclamation 
posted up, when a Christian of noble rank tore it to pieces. 
For this he was roasted to death. A fire which broke out 
in the palace twice within a fortnight was made a pretext 



198 HISTORY OF ROME. 

for very violent dealings with the Christians. Those who 
refused to burn incense to idols were tortured or slain. 
Over all the empire the persecution raged, except in Gaul, 
Britain, and Spain, where Constan'tius Chlo'rus ruled as 
Caesar under Diocletian's colleague, Maximian. When 
Diocletian and Maximian abdicated, and Galerius held 
supreme rule in the East, he indulged all his fury against 
the Christians. Says a historian : " With little rest for 
eight years, the whip and the rack, the tigers, the hooks of 
steel, and the red-hot beds continued to do their deadly 
work. And then, in a. d. 3 1 1 , when life was fading from 
his dying eye, Galerius published an edict permitting Chris- 
tians to worship God in their, own way." 

182. This was the turning-point in the great struggle : 

it was plain that the most violent efforts of 
despotism were unable to crush that which 
was by its very nature divine and deathless. 

183. We come now to a remarkable epoch in the history 

of Christianity, namely, the reign of a Roman 
emperor who himself professed Christianity. 
Con'stantine was the son of Constantius Chlorus. On the 
death of his father in Britain Constantine was at once pro- 
claimed emperor by the soldiers there. He had immedi- 
ately to enter on a contest with no fewer than five rivals, 
and the circumstance attending his conversion is associated 
with an event that took place during this period of warfare. 

184. In A. D. 312, while on the march to attack one of 
His Qonver- ^is rivals (Maxcn'tius), near Rome, Constan- 
^*°"- tine is reported to have seen with his own eyes 
the luminous trophy of the cross in the sky, placed above the 
meridian sun, and inscribed with the following words : By 
THIS CONQUER [in Greek, Eji iouto 7iika ; in Latin, Li hoc 
vince\. In the battle that followed Maxentius was complete- 
ly overthrown. It is said that this decided Constantine to 
be a Christian. 



SPREAD OF CHRISTIANITY. 



199 




185. The early church historians also add that the fol- 
lowing night Christ appeared to Constantine 

^. ^ 1 1 1 , • r The Labarum. 

in a dream and commanded him to frame a 

similar standard, and under it to march with 
an assurance of victory against all his ene- 
mies. This is the origin of the celebrated 
Lab'arum, or standard of the cross, displayed 
by the Christian emperors in all their military 
expeditions. The top of the Labarum was 
adorned with a mystic X, representing at 
once the cross and the initial of the Greek 
word for Christ. 

186. The first fruit of Constantine's con- 
version appeared in a famous Christianity 
decree called the Edict of Milan, ligion. 
A. D. 313: this restored peace to the Christian 
church. The establishment of Christianity 
The Labarum. ^s the religion of the State took place in 324, 
when the defeat of the last of his rivals made Constantine 
sole master of the Roman world. 

187. He immediately, by circular letters, exhorted all 
his subjects to imitate the example of their constantine's 
sovereign by embracing the divine truth of po'^^^y- 
Christianity. It is calculated that in Constantine's time 
about a twentieth part of the whole population of the 
empire were professed Christians. The emperor did not 
forbid paganism, but chose rather to work by ridicule and 
neglect. With public money he repaired the old churches 
and built new ones, so that in every great city the Pagan 
temples were faced by Christian churches of rich and 
beautiful architecture. The Christian clergy were freed 
from taxes. Sunday was proclaimed a day of rest. And, 
to crown all, Constantine removed the seat of government 
to a new capital, — Constantinople, — which was essentially 



a Christian city. 



200 HISTORY OF ROME. 

188. Julian, known as Julian the Apostate, who became 
Paganism for- cmperor in A. D. 36 1, made a strong effort to 
bidden. restore the fallen gods ; but this effort was in 
vain, and the ruin of paganism was completed at the close 
of the 4th century. By this time the Christians were the 
great majority in most parts of the empire ; and Theodosius 
gave the final blow to the heathen faith by prohibiting 
under severe penalties the worship of the old gods. 

189. In closing our review of the first spread of Chris- 
inteiiectuai tianity, we must note that the new faith, in 
influence. addition to its direct effect on the belief, the 
lives, and the conduct of men,- had also important intellectual 
results. It gave the mind of the age great subjects to 
grapple with ; and as the despotism of the imperial govern- 
ment crushed out all political speculation, the intellect and 
the enthusiasm of the nations freely turned to the grand 
problems of the " City of God." 

190. There thus arose a series of theological writers 
_. ^ ^ both in Greek and Latin, who are known col- 

The Fathers. , . , . 

lectively as the Christian Fathers, among whom 
the following are the most famous : — 

Tertul'lian. Born at Carthage in a. d. 160, — first of the Latin writers 
of the Church, — chief work, his "Apology for Christians," written 
about A. D. 198. 

Or'igen. Born in Egypt a d 185 or 186, — editor and commentator of 
the Scriptures, — wrote in Greek. 

Cyp'rian. Archbishop of Carthage in the middle of the 3d century, — 
chief work, "Unity of the Church," — martyred under Valerian. 

Am'brose. Born about a. d. 340 in Gaul, — Archbishop of Milan, — 
chief work, De Officiis, — vindicated the authority of the priesthood 
over even emperors and kings, by condemning Theodosius I. to a long 
and weary penance for his massacre of the Thessalonians. 

Athana'sius. Born in Alexandria, end of the 3d century, — Patriarch of 
Alexandria, — the great champion of Trinitarianism against Arius. 

Greg'ory Nazian'zen. Born early in the 4th century in Cappadocia, 
— for a while Patriarch of Constantinople, — noted as a writer of the- 
ology and religious poetry. 



ROMAN LIFE, MANNERS, CUSTOMS, ETC. 20I 

Chrys'ostom. (Gold-mouth, from his eloquence.) Born at Antioch, 
A. D. 354, — Patriarch of Constantinople, — his works are in Greek. 

Jerome. Born in a. d. 340 in Dalma'tia, — especially learned in He- 
brew, — founder of Monasticism, — chief work, a translation of the 
Bible into Latin (known as the Vulgate, a version for the common 
people, — valgus). 

Augus'tine. Born in Numid'ia, in Africa, a. d. 354, — Bishop of Hip- 
po (in Africa), — is known as the Father of Latin Theology, — a 
man of powerful intellect and eloquence, — chief works, " On the 
Grace of Christ," "Original Sin," the "City of God," and his "Con- 
fessions " (an autobiography). 



Dress. 



4. ROMAN LIFE, MANNERS, CUSTOMS, ETC.* 

191. The most remarkable garment of the Romans was 
the toga, made of pure white wool, and in 
shape resembling a segment of a circle ; nar- 
row at first, it 
was folded so 
that one arm rest- 
ed as in a sling; 
but in late days 
it was draped in 
broad, flowing 
folds round the 
breast and left 
arm, leaving the 
right nearly bare. 
Though its use 
in the streets was 
in later times ex- 
changed for a 
mantle of warm- 
colored cloth, 
called the pallmvi 

or lacerna, yet it ^^^^ Costumes. 




Abridged from Collier's " Domestic Life in Imperial Rome." 



202 HISTORY OF ROME. 

continued to be the Roman full dress ; and in the theater, 
when the emperor was present, all were expected to wear 
it. The Romans always kept the head uncovered, except 
on a journey, or when they wished to escape notice. Then 
they wore a dark-colored hood, which was fastened to the 
lacerna. In the house sokie were strapped to the bare feet ; 
but abroad the calceus, nearly resembling our shoe, was 
commonly worn. On the ring-finger, the fourth of the left 
hand, every Roman of rank had a massive signet-ring. 
There were fops who loaded every finger with jewels ; and 
we are told of one poor fellow who was so far gone in 
foppery as to have a set of lighter rings for summer wear, 
when his delicate frame could not bear the weight of his 
winter jewels. 

192. The dress of Roman ladies consisted of three parts, 

— an inner //^//?V, the siola., and the palla. The 

Ladies' dress, , ... , ... . , - „ 

stola, which was the distmctive dress 01 Roman 
matrons, was a tunic with short sleeves, girt round the waist, 
and ending in a deep flounce which swept the instep. The 
palla, a gay-colored mantle, was worn out of doors. It was 
often sky-blue, sprinkled with golden stars. The brightest 
colors were chosen ; so that an assembly of Roman belles^ in 
full dress, was a brilliant scene, sparkling with scarlet and 
yellow, purple and pale green. The hair, encircled with a 
garland of roses, was fastened with a gold pin, while pearls 
and gold adorned the neck and arms. 

193. The early Romans lived chiefly on bread and pot- 

herbs ; but when wealth was introduced by 
their conquests, luxury seized all ranks, and, 
as we have already seen, the imitation of Oriental customs 
completely sapped the abstemious virtues of the old Romans. 
To many, in the degenerate ages of Rome, the great ends of 
life were to eat the most delicious food, and to eat as much 
of it as possible. Roman meals were three, — jen/acn/iij?i, 
prandium, and ccefia. Jentaculum, taken soon after rising, 



ROMAN LIFE, MANNERS, CUSTOMS, ETC. 203 

consisted of bread, dried grapes or olives, cheese, and per- 
haps milk and eggs. At prandium, the midday meal, the 
Romans partook of fish, eggs, and dishes cold, or warmed 
up from the last night's supper. Then, too, some wine was 
drunk. But coena was the principal meal, taken about the 
ninth hour, and on the whole corresponding to our dinner. 
It began with eggs, fish, and light vegetables, such as rad- 
ishes and lettuces, served up with tasty sauces, all being 
intended merely to whet the appetite for the more substan- 
tial dishes to follow. Then came the courses {fercula)^ of 
which, in all their wonderful variety, no just idea can be 
given here. Among fish, turbot, sturgeon, and red mullet 
were greatly prized ; among birds, the peacock, pheasant, 
woodcock, thrush, and fig-pecker. The favorite flesh-meat 
was young pork ; but venison was also in great demand. 
The courses, were followed by a dessert of pastry and fruit. 

194. While eating, the Romans reclined upon low couch- 
es, which were arranged in the form tricliniian^ 

making three sides of a square. The open 
space was left for the slaves to place or remove the dishes. 
The place of honor was on the middle bench. In later 
times round tables became common, and then semicircular 
couches were used. There were no table-cloths ; but the 
guests wore over the breast a linen napkin {mappd), which 
they brought with them. Instead of knives and forks two 
spoons were used, — one, cochlear^ small and pointed at the 
end of the handle ; the other, lingula^ larger and of uncertain 
shape. The splendor of a Roman feast was greatly marred 
by the oil-lamps, the only light then used. The lamps them- 
selves were exquisite in shape and material, as were all the 
table utensils ; but the dripping oil soaked the table, while 
the thick smoke blackened the walls and ceiling, and rested 
in flakes of soot upon the dresses of the guests. 

195. At feasts, instead of the toga, short dresses of red 
or other bright colors vvere worn. Before the drinking 



204 HISTORY OF ROME. 

began, chaplets were handed round. For these roses, 
myrtle, violets, ivy, and even parsley were 

Drinking. ^ \^ c ^ ^ • , 

used. Before they were put on, slaves anointed 
the hair with nard and other sweet unguents. Wine was 
almost the only drink used. Before being brought to table 
it was sometimes strained through a metal sieve or linen bag 
idled with snow, and was called black and white according 
to its color, just as we talk of red and white wines. The 
famous Falernian, celebrated by Horace, was of a bright 
amber tint. Besides pure wine they drank mulsum^ a mix- 
ture of new wine with honey, and calda^ made of warm 
water, wine, and spice. 

196. The Romans spent much time in their splendid 

baths. The cold plunge in the Tiber, which 
had braced the iron muscles of their ancestors, 
gave place, under the empire, to a most luxurious and elab- 
orate system of tepid and vapor bathing, often repeated 
seven or eight times a day. At the baths the gossip of 
the day was exchanged. 

197. The theater, wjth its tragedies and comedies, the 

circus, and the amphitheater supplied the Ro- 

Amusements. .,,.,.. ... , 

mans with their chief public amusements. At 
the circus they betted on their favorite horses or charioteers ; 
at the amphitheater they reveled in the bloody combats of 
gladiators, — the most brutal of all the Roman pastimes. At 
the trumpet's sound throngs of wretched men — captives, 
slaves, or convicted criminals — closed in deadly strife. 
The trodden sand soon grew red ; yet on they fought with 
parched lips and leaping hearts, for they knew that a brave 
fight might win for them their freedom. Erelong, hacked 
and bleeding limbs began to fail, and dim eyes turned to 
seek for mercy along the crowded seats. There were times 
when the dumb prayer was answered, and the down-turned 
thumbs of the spectators gave the signal for sparing life ; 
but too often mercy was sought in vain, and the sword com- 



i<OMAN LIFE, MANNERS, CUSTOMS, ETC. 205 

pleted its work. Combats of gladiators with wild beasts 
often took place. Whole armies sometimes thronged the 
scene. When Trajan celebrated his triumph, after his 
victories in Dacia, 10,000 gladiators were exhibited at once. 

198. Roman books were rolls of papyrus-bark, or parch- 
ment, written upon with a reed pen, dipped in 
lamp-black or sepia. The back of the sheet 

was often stained with saffron, and its edges were rubbed 
smooth and blackened, while the ends of the stick on which 
it was rolled (whence our word volume^ " a roll ") were adorned 
with knobs of ivory or gilt wood. Letters were etched with 
a sharp iron instrument {stylus, whence our word styic^ 
upon thin wooden tablets coated with wax. These were 
then tied up with linen thread, the knot being sealed with 
wax and stamped with a ring. 

199. The Romans had three forms of marriage, of which 
the highest was called confarreatio. The bride, 

dressed in a white robe with purple fringe, and 
covered with a bright yellow veil, was escorted by torch- 
light to her future home. A cake (/^^) was carried before 
her, and she bore a distaff and spindle with wool. Arrived 
at the flower-wreathed portal, she was lifted over the threshold 
lest — omen of evil — her foot might stumble upon it. Her 
husband then brought fire and water, which she touched ; 
and, seated on a sheepskin, she received the keys of the 
house. A marriage supper closed the ceremony. 

200. The household work was done by slaves of various 
classes. In earlier times a few sufficed : but ^, 

,. Slaves. 

m the days of the empire it was thought a dis- 
grace not to have a slave for every separate kind of work. 
And so, besides those who managed the purse, the cellar, 
the bedrooms, and the kitchen, there were slaves to carry 
the litter, or to attend as their masters walked abroad. 
Some, of higher pretensions, were readers, secretaries, and 
physicians. Then, for amusement, there were musicians, 



206 HISTORY OF ROME. 

dancers, buffoons, and even idiots. But all may be ranked 
under two heads, — bought slaves and born slaves. There 
was a slave-market, in which the common sort were sold 
like cattle ; but the more beautiful or valuable were dis- 
posed of by private bargain in the taverns. Prices ranged 
from $ 20 to % 4000. 

201. The disinterment of the town of Pompeii, which 

was overwhelmed by an eruption of lava from 
Mount Vesuvius in a. d. 79, enables us to 
form a very correct idea of what a first-class Roman 
house was. The principal apartments were on the ground- 
floor. Passing through the unroofed vestibule^ often between 
rows of graceful statues, the visitor entered the house 
through a doorway ornamented with ivory, tortoise-shell, 
and gold. On the threshold, worked in mosaic marble, 
was the kind word Sal've (welcome). Then came the 
atrium, or great central reception-room, separated from its 
wings by lines of pillars. Here were placed the ancestral 
images ; and here, too, was the focus, or family fireplace 
dedicated to the La'res. Farther in lay a large saloon called 
the per' i style. The floor was generally a mosaic of colored 
marble, tiles, or glass ; the walls were carved and painted ; 
gilt and colored stucco-work adorned the ceilings ; while 
the window frames were filled with talc or glass. On the 
roofs were bright gardens. In houses like these might be 
found ivory bedsteads, with quilts of purple and gold ; tables 
of precious wood ; sideboards of gold and silver, loaded 
with plate, amber vases, beakers of Corinthian bronze, and 
glass vessels from Alexandria, whose tints rivaled the opal 
and the ruby. 

202. Of course the scholar will understand that these 

descriptions apply exclusively to the wealthy. 

The poor. ^, ^ , ,. , i , , , 

1 he common people lived as best they could, 
and we know very well that the richest were without a great 
many comforts and conveniences which even the poor now 
command. 



LAST DA YS OF ROME. 207 



5. LAST DAYS OF ROME. 

203. In the section on the political history of Rome we 
brouo^ht the story of the o^reat empire down to ^ . 

» ^ o i , Review. 

the time of its final dismemberment, m 476 a. d. 

We did not, however, narrate the circmTistances attending 

the catastrophe ; accordingly we shall now briefly refer to 

these. 

204. In the 5th century of our era many things por- 
tended the fall of Rome. Chief of these was ^. 

Signs of decay. 

the fact that the Romans had really ceased to 
exist as a nation. The empire had absorbed the natio?i. 
We have already seen that the Roman race^ which conquered 
the world, was finally swallowed up by the world which it 
conquered. The blood itself was corrupted by alien admix- 
ture ; luxury further demoralized the people ; and the very 
fact that they were willing for the five hundred years of the 
empire to sit under an imperial despotism, shows that they 
were unfit to be free. 

205. The removal of the capital by Constantine from 
Rome to Byzantium was a signal proof of the change of cap- 
fact that Italy had ceased to be the- center of '*^^- 

the Roman world. From this it was an easy step to the 
division of the empire, which took place under the sons of 
Theodosius, the last emperor who ruled over the whole of 
the Roman dominion. Thenceforward we may regard the 
Roman Empire as confined to Italy with the Western prov- 
inces, or Gaul, Spain, etc., while the Eastern empire, com- 
prising what we have called the Greek and the Oriental 
civilizations, pursued a career of its own. 

206. In this state of facts the Western empire fell a prey 
to the new and vis^orous Teutonic, or German, ^^ ^ 

^ ' ' The Teutons. 

tribes that for centuries had mhabited the 

forests of the North. Ever since the time of Augustus the 

different German tribes had been most dangerous enemies 



208 HISTORY OF ROME. 

of Rome, and many of the most valiant emperors had 
had much ado to defend the empire against them. One im- 
portant result of the contact of the " northern barbarians " 
with the Romans was that the Teutonic tribes became 
acquainted with Roman civilization and with Christianity ; 
so that most of them became Christians before they settled 
in the empire, or very soon afterwards, 

207. The first great lodgement of the Teutons within the 
First settle- Hmits of the Roman Empire took place by per- 
ment of Goths, mission of the Roman Emperor Valens, in the 
last half of the 4th century. The great Germanic family of 
the Goths at that time formed an extensive kingdom in the 
lands north of the Danube, — the lands we now call Mol- 
davia and Wallachia. This region had been Trajan's prov- 
ince of Dacia, but the Romans had withdrawn from it under 
Aurelian. The Goths were gradually becoming Christians 
of the Arian sect under the teaching of a bishop named 
Ulfilas, whose translation of the Scriptures into the Gothic 
tongue is the oldest Teutonic writing that we have. 

208. Now, in the latter half of the 4th century the Goths 
Manner of set- found thcmselves pressed upon by an invasion 
tiement. ^f Huns, — Tartars, or Kalmucks, who had 
been driven out of Eastern Asia, and were at this time 
making their way into Europe. In their despair the Goths 
asked the Emperor Valens (who ruled over the East, while 
Valentinian was emperor of the West) to allow them to cross 
to the south side of the Danube, and thus put that stream 
between them and their hideous foes. Leave was granted, 
on condition that they should give up their children and 
their arms. The bargain was struck at once. Roman 
boats were provided, and for many days and nights the 
broad river was torn into foam by the ceaseless splash of 
oars. The fugitives, surrendering their children with little 
concern, gladly paid away all they had as bribes to the 
Roman officers for leave to keep their arms. In this way 



LAST DA YS OF ROME. 209 

an immense body of fierce warriors (men, women, and slaves 
numbered nearly a million souls) settled, sword in hand, 
within one of the great natural frontiers of the empire, 
376 A. D. 

209. The Goths had humbly vowed that they would for- 
ever make it their grateful duty to guard the Their behav- 
Roman borders. In spite of this they had '°''- 
hardly been allowed to settle south of the Danube when they 
turned their arms against Valens. It must be said, however, 
that for this they were not wholly without excuse ; the offi- 
cers of the emperor treated them in the most scandalous 
manner, and left them to starve. In this plight they resolved 
to help themselves ; they accordingly advanced towards Con- 
stantinople. The imperial army met them ;iear Hadriano'ple, 
where a battle took place that was most disastrous to the 
Romans, and in which Valens lost his life, a. d. 378. The 
Goths, having now nothing to fear, spread themselves over 
the fertile country westward to the confines of Italy and the 
Adriatic Sea. 

210. Under Theodosius the Great, who became emperor 
of the East in a. d. 379, the Goths were broudit 

Alaric. 

to capitulate, and settle down quietly, and large 
numbers took service in the Roman armies ; but this course 
was only preparing the inevitable result. When the two 
feeble sons of Theodosius divided between them the Roman 
world, the Visigoths (i. e. Western Goths) revolted, and, 
hoisting their chief, Alaric, upon their shields, according to 
their national mode of electing a king, precipitated them- 
selves upon Italy. Rome was captured and sacked (a. d. 
410), and all Southern Italy was overrun. 

211. And now the great Western empire was fast dissolv- 
ing. In the early part of the 5th century three signs of dis- 
fragments broke off from the decaying trunk, solution. 
The province of Britain was evacuated by the Romans and 
was soon overrun by the German tribes called Angles and 



2IO HISTORY OF ROME. 

Saxons. The various Teutonic tribes were pressing into 
Gaul, and from Gaul into Spain, Spain was conquered 
by Vandals, Sueves, and other German races ; while Gaul 
was filled with Franks and Burgundians and Goths, — all of 
whom belonged to the great Teutonic family. The province 
of Africa, too, was lost ; for a band of Vandals under Gen'- 
seric passed over from Spain to Carthage, which was con- 
quered in A. D. 439. 

212. Meanwhile At'tila the Hun had gone forth from his 

log-house on the plain of Hungary, at the head 
of half a million savages, to conquer the world. 
Crossing the Rhine, he pierced to the center of Gaul ; but 
at Chalons he was defeated by the united power of the Ro- 
mans, Goths, and. Franks, a. d. 451. In this memorable 
battle, Aryan civilization and Tartar despotism met in a 
life-and-death struggle, and the nobler triumphed. Being 
defeated in Gaul, Attila climbed the Alps and overran Italy, 
pillaging and destroying up to the very gates of Rome. It 
is a strange fact that it was through the persuasion of the 
Christian bishop, Leo, that Attila was induced to return to 
Hungary. Here he soon afterwards broke a blood-vessel. 
So died one whose savage boast it was that grass never 
grew on a spot where his horse had trodden. His great 
empire immediately fell to pieces. 

213. No sooner had Attila departed than Genseric, the 

Vandal chief of Africa, crossed over from Car- 
thage and anchored his ships at the mouth of 
the Tiber. This time the persuasion of Leo could not save 
the city. Rome was captured (a. d. 455), and for fourteen 
days Vandals and Moors wrecked, and pillaged without 
mercy. Shiploads of treasure and crowds of captives were 
carried over the sea to Carthage. 

214. During these events there were still emperors of 
DownfaU of the Wcst, and their names will be found in the 
^°™®' list. But they were mere nonentities, for the 



LAST DAYS OF ROME. 2 1 I 

real power was in the hands of the barbarians. At last the 
Roman senate voted that one emperor was enough, and 
that the Eastern emperor, Zeno, should reign over the 
whole empire ; but at the same time Zeno was made to trust 
the government of Italy to Odoa'cer, chief of the German 
Herulians, who took the title of Patrician of Italy. The last 
of the Western Roman emperors was Romulus Augustulus, 
a handsome but feeble youth. Him they pensioned off in 
A. D. 476. Then, " when Odoacer was proclaimed king of 
Italy, the phantom assembly that still called itself the Ro- 
man senate sent back to Constantinople the tiara and purple 
robe, in sign that the Western empire had passed away." * 

* White's " Eighteen Christian Centuries." 



^12 • MEDIEVAL HISrOKY. 



SECTION IV. 
MEDIiEVAL HISTORY. 

INTRODUCTION. 

1. Modern history, in a comprehensive sense, begins 
Scope of mod- with the downfall of the Western Roman 
ern history. Empire ; for with that event the volume of 
ancient history was closed : new actors then appeared on 
the stage, and a new civilization arose. It will, however, be 
convenient to consider the fourteen centuries that have 
elapsed since the breaking up of Rome as divided into 
two parts. The first part constitutes what is usually called 
the Middle Ages. This period embraces one thousand 
years ; that is, it extends from about the close of the 5 th to 
the close of the 15th century of our era. From the close 
of the 15th century down to the present time is modern 
history in its narrower sense. 

2. It was during the thousand years from the 5th to the 
Real nature of ^S^h ccutury that the civilization of_modern 
this period. Europe was ripening. In many respects this 
period seemed a relapse into barbarism, and the interval 
from the 5th to the nth century is sometimes called 
specifically the Dark Ages. But in a juster view it was 
the germinating season : the seeds of modern civilization, 
cast into the soil, were quickening in new institutions and 
new nations ; so that when we see modern society in the 
15th and i6th centuries assuming the fixed shape which it 
still wears, we must remember that it grew into that shape 
in the antecedent thousand years. 



THE NEW RACES. 213 



CHAPTER I. 
THE N EW k ACES. 

3. The historical races of Europe comprise four grand 
divisions of the great Aryan stock, — the Historical 
Graeco-Latins, the Celts, the Teutons, and the Europe. 
Slaves, or Slavonians. 

4. In the ancient history of Europe we have been 
occupied exclusively with one of these races, ^ ^ . 

^ . , , Graeco-Latins. 

— the Gra^co-Latnis. The three other races 

— the Celts, Teutons, and Slavonians — belong wholly to 
modern history. 

5. It is known that the ancestors of these races came 
originally from Asia, where they formed one unity of 
family with the forefathers of the Hindoos ^"^y^" '■^"^• 
and Persians, — the term Aryan, or Indo-European, being 
used to indicate their common lineage. The migration of 
these races into Europe was at a period that antedates 
recorded history (probably as far back as 2500 b. c). 

6. The evidence of language goes to show that the first 
wave of migration brought the race which we order of 
designate as Celts. These established them- "Migration, 
selves in Central Europe. After a time, however, they 
were pressed upon by the Teutonic incomers, Und the 
result was that the Celts were driven into Western Europe, 
while the Teutons possessed themselves of Central and 
Eastern Europe. Whether the forefathers of the Hellenic 
and Latin races appeared previous to or subsequent to the 
Teutons is mere matter of conjecture. At a subsequent 
date the Slavonic race made their appearance in Europe ; 
and the effect of this was that the Teutons were wedged 
into Central and Northwestern Europe, while the Slavo- 
nians overspread the whole of the great Eastern plain. 

15 



214 MEDIEVAL HISTORY. 

7. The original civilization of ancient Europe was con- 
Ancient Aryan fined to the two Mediterranean peninsulas, 
civilization. Grcccc and Italy, where a favored branch of 
the Aryan race attained to social organization and to a 
high development in culture, while their brethren, the Celts, 
Teutons, and Slaves, still remained in an undeveloped con- 
dition, without written language, or literature, or the useful 
or fine arts, or the varied appliances of civilization. Out- 
side of Greece and Italy the European world was a world 
of barbarians. 

8. The Greeks had no influence whatever in civilizing 
Influence of the barbarians : but it was different in the 

Rome on the . ^ ^r i 1 , ^ , 

Celts. case of Rome. Of the three races, the Celts 

first came in contact with the Romans. The Gauls of Cis- 
alpine Gaul were Celts, and we have seen that these were 
brought into subjection by the Romans under the republic, 
and that they received the Roman franchise at the hands of 
Julius Caesar. Under the same conqueror the vast popula- 
tion of Transalpine Gaul (France) was brought under the 
rule of Rome, and in the end Roman citizenship was 
extended to the whole mass. The same thing took place 
in the case of the Celt-Ibe'rians of Spain. The Celts of the 
British Islands, also, were received into the Roman family. 
The result of their contact with the Romans was that the 
Celtic populations of Gaul and Spain had become thorough- 
ly Latinized and Christianized before the breaking up of 
the Western empire. 

9. The Teutons do not begin to affect the course of 

history till we come to the series of events 
eu ons. attending the downfall of Rome. It is now 

that the Germanic race commences its existence, now that 
it begins to play its mighty part. The history of the 
Middle Ages is the history of the incorporation of Teutonic, 
or Germanic, barbarians with the Latin and Celtic elements ; 
modern society is the result of the blending of the two ; and 



THE NEW RACES. 21 5 

it derives ingredients from both, — from the barbarians the 
love of personal liberty and the sense of independence, from 
the Romans the forms of a long-established civilization. 

10. In a general way, the terms Teutonic, Gothic, Ger- 
manic, are all used as synonymous, and are unity of 
employed indifferently to designate this mighty 'teutons, 
central family of Europe, Its unity is evidenced by the 
kinship of the forms of Teutonic speech. And this individ- 
uality of speech, as we might suppose, accompanies an 
individuality of race, so that, in the analysis of the compo- 
nent elements of European civilization, that which is Teu- 
tonic is readily recognizable as a thing quite apart from 
that which is classic or Celtic or Slavonic. 

11. The chief Germanic tribes were the Goths, the 
Franks, the Vandals, the Burgundians, the 
Lombards, the Saxons, the Angles, and the 
Scandinavians. 

12. The 'earliest home of the Goths was Scandinavia, 
where we can still mark their dwelling-places 

by such words as Godoland, Godesconzia 
(Castle of the Goths), and, plainer still, Gothland. But the 
roving spirit natural to barbarism would not let them rest 
content with their native swamps and forests. They began 
to push southward about a. d. 200 ; and we soon find 
them in Central Europe in three great divisions, — Visi- 
goths (i. e. West Goths), Os'trogoths (i. e. East Goths), 
and Gep'idae {Laggards)*' The Goths were the first of the 
Teutons to come under the influence of Christianity. A 
considerable time before the downfall of the Western 
Empire they had been converted from paganism to the 
form of Christianity called Arianism. 

13. Of some of the other Germanic tribes we have al- 

* The circumstances under which the Goths were admitted within the 
limits of the Roman Empire have aheady been tolrf. See page 208. 



2l6 MEDIy^VAL HISTORY. 

ready caught a glimpse or two in the confused and shifting 
Movements of sccncs attending the breaking up of the West- 
tribes, gj-j^ Empire. Thus pressed by the Gothic inva- 
sions, a mingled host of Vandals, Sueves, and Burgundians 
left the uplands between the springs of the Rhine and 
the Danube early in the 5th century. The Burgundians 
settled in Eastern Gaul, and have left their memorial in 
the name of the district of Burgundy. The Vandals and 
Sueves pushed on to Spain and founded a kingdom in the 
northwest corner of the peninsula. This was before the 
downfall of Rome. But the kingdom did not last long ; for 
the Visigoths, following soon after, defeated the Sueves and 
Vandals, and founded a Visigothic kingdom in Spain about 
A. D. 414. This may be called the first of the modern king- 
doms of Europe. Meantime the fierce Vandals, leaving be- 
hind them their name in " Andalu'sia " (once Van'dalos)^ 
crossed to Africa, where they founded a state of which Car- 
thage was the center. It did not endure, being absorbed 
a century afterwards in the Eastern Empire. 

14. The Franks (from an old German word signifying a 

battle-ax) we first find inhabitinsr what we now 

Franks. ,, ^ , . i i i r ^ 

call Belgmm and the lower courses or the 
Rhine ; but in the stormy period just before the downfall of 
Rome they pressed into Gaul. Under their leader, Clovis, 
they took firm root in Gaul, conquered the Burgundians who 
were in the southeast and the Visigoths who were in the 
southwest, and thus, just about the time Rome fell, estab- 
lished that kingdom of the Franks which afterwards came 
to be called France (from Francia^ the land of the Franks). 

15. Of those particular German tribes that were directly 
Germans in conccmed in the downfall of Rome we have 
^*^^y- already seen something. First were the Visi- 
goths, who swarmed down on Italy. It will be remembered 
that Odoacer, chief of the Visigothic tribe of the Heruli, 
was made Fatrician^ or kin^ of Italy, in a. d. 476. We shall 



THE NEW RACES. 21/ 



afterwards see that the Visigoths were succeeded first by 
the Ostrogoths and then by the Lombards. The original 
home of the Lombards was in Jutland ; but they afterwards 
moved to the banks of the Elbe ; then, passing southeast 
towards the Danube, they made it a starting-point for their 
march upon Italy, where, as we shall see, they displaced 
the Ostrogoths at the end of the 6th century, and where 
the name Lom'bardy still points out the scene of their 
greatest triumph. 

16. The Saxons (knife-men, from Sachs) at first occupy- 
inp^ Holstein, soon spread over the basin of 

1 TTT rr^ 1 • 1 1 -1 A 1 1 Anglo-Saxons. 

the Weser. Two kmdred tribes — Angles and 
Jutes — filled the peninsula of Denmark. The various 
tribes in the low countries along the North Sea are known 
as Low Germans, and their languages as the Low German 
type of the Teutonic speech. They had never come in con- 
tact with the Romans, and were still pagans when Rome fell. 
These tribes are of great interest to us, because it was rov- 
ing bands from among them that in the 5 th century crossed 
over to Britain and laid the foundations of England^ the 
land of the Angles, and began the Saxon kingdom and the 
English language. 

17. We have now named the chief Teutonic tribes with 
the exception of the Scandinavians. We shall ^ 

/• , .,, , 1 1 11 Scandinavians. 

not hear of them till about the 9th and loth 
centuries, when they appear as Norsenwi. 

18. The fourth representative of the Aryan stock in Eu- 
rope are the Slavonians, or Slaves, of the great The siavoni- 
Eastern Plain. They do not begin to play any ^"^• 
important part in history till well on in the Middle Ages. 
The word " slave " (borrowed from the proper noun Shive) 
is sadly suggestive of the woes they suffered during the 
long wars of the Middle Ages. The Poles belonged to the 
Slavonian race ; but the foremost national representative of 
this stock are the Russians. Russia, however, was not a 
civilized country till comparatively modern times. 



2l8 MEDIEVAL HISTORY. 

19. Europe is mainly possessed by Aryans, but not 
Non-Aryan wliolly. In the centuries of confusion wild 
'■^'^^^- hordes from the Ural Mountains swept down 
on the Danube. We have seen how the Tartar Huns 
under Attila overran Europe. They were defeated, but 
not entirely driven out of Europe. They all pressed upon 
one point, — modern Hungary, with its grain-growing vales 
and gem-producing hills. Lastly came the Mag'yars, who 
were also Mongols or Tartars, and who, settling down in 
the basin of the Danube, stayed there. They became 
Christianized and civilized about 1000 a. d., and gradually 
took shape as the noble Hungarian nation. The Turks, 
who captured Constantinople and overthrew the Byzantine 
Empire, were also Mongols, or Tartars, and they have re- 
tained a foothold in Europe (Turkey) up to the present time. 

20. We must now glance at the languages of the new 
Rise of the Ro- nations that arose on the ruins of the Roman 
mance tongues. Empire. At the time the Teutonic tribes 
forced their way into Italy and the western provinces of the 
Roman Empire, Latin had become the common speech of 
Gaul and Spain, no less than of Italy. The old Celtic of 
Gaul and the Celt-Iberian of Spain, which were spoken be- 
fore the Roman conquest, lived on only in a few out-of-the- 
way corners. Thus the language which the Teutonic set- 
tlers found prevailing was Latin, — not pure Latin, of course, 
but still Latin. As the Teutonic settlers were far outnum- 
bered by the native populations, they had to learn Latin in 
order to communicate with the people of the provinces ; but 
in learning the tongue they further changed and corrupted 
it to some extent. Accordingly the common language of 
Italy, Gaul, and Spain became a sort of corrupt Latin, which 
was called Romafi, while classical Latin was still written by 
scholars. Gradually in these three countries differences of 
dialect arose, and the common Roman gradually developed 
into the Italian, French, and Spanish: these languages are 



THE NEW RACES. 



219 



Still called the Romance tongues, to show their derivation 
from the speech of the Romans. 

21. In Britain the Germanic invaders, as we shall find, 
did not mix with the Celtic-speaking Britons ; ^ ,. ^ 

° English. 

hence the language of Anglo-Saxon England 
was purely Teutonic, and it did not become affected by 
Romance influence until England was conquered in the 
nth century by the French-speaking Normans. 

22. The new nations of purely Teutonic stock that arose 
in Germany and Scandinavia were in their ^ 

•' . . ^ German. 

speech wholly unaffected by Latm influence ; 

so that their languages were unmixed Teutonic. These are 

the German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, etc. 

23. The Slavonic people speak languages of their own, 
— languages which belong to the great Aryan ^^^.^ 
stock of tongues, but which are quite distinct 

from the Romance tongues on the one hand and the Ger- 
manic tongues on the other. 



Romance ( J^^alian. 
languages. Fi^ench, 



Spanish. 



English. 



Germanic, ■ 



High German, or the tongues of Southern Germany, — 
the "German" of our day. 

Low Gf.rman, the tongues spoken by the dwellers in 
Northern or sea-coast Germany, represented by the 
Dutch of our day. 

Scandinavian, including the Swedish, Danish, Nor- 
wegian, and Icelandic 



Celtic. 



Gaelic Scotch, 
F.Rs^ of Ireland. 



Slavonian. \ R^^'^'^^' 
I Polish. 



MEDIEVAL HISTORY. 




THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE. 221 

CHAPTER II. 

THREE CENTURIES OF HISTORY. 
I. THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE. 

24. When the feeble hand of Rome let go, in her decay, 
the Latin provinces of the empire, the tradi- Eastern Em- 
tion, and in some respects the substance, of p^^^- 
Roman dominion still continued in the East. The Western 
Empire, as we have seen, M^ent all to ruin, and finally 
passed into the hands of the barbarians ; but the Eastern 
Empire was not involved in the universal wreck, and for a 
thousand years after the downfall of the Latin Empire, — 
during which time the new nationalities and the new civili- 
zation of Europe were coming into being, — the Eastern, 
Greek, or Byzantine Empire, as it is called, continued to 
subsist, though in a state of premature and perpetual decay. 

25. The Byzantine Empire was in the meridian of its 
glory in the 6th century during the long reign Reign of jus- 
of Justin'ian, a. D. 527-565. Justinian was t*"^^"- 
famous for his buildings, especially for the great church of 
St. Sophia at Constantinople ; but his name is still more 
honorably connected with the mighty work of putting the 
laws of Rome into the shape of a regular code. Nobody 
could know the law, for there were so many contradictory 
decrees and decisions. With the aid of a great jurist named 
Tribo'nian, and other learned men, that complete system of 
Roman law called the Civil Laiv, which has formed the 
groundwork of the law of most of the nations of Europe 
(England the most notable exception), was reduced into 
what are called the Coife, the Lisfituies, and the PuTidects. 

26. We shall not be greatly concerned with the affairs of 
the Eastern Empire, because progress lay not there, but in 



222 MEDIEVAL HISTORY. 

the West. Byzantine civilization, with its poUsh and learn- 
NatureofBy- ing and culture on the surface, was petrified 
tory. and dead at the core, while it was the so-called 

" barbarous " races of Western Europe that alone held the 
promise of the future. Still, it is necessary constantly to 
bear in mind the existence of the Eastern Empire, and also 
the fact that the emperors at Constantinople claimed to rule 
over all the dominion of their predecessors ; for this claim 
was put forth whenever there was any chance of making it 
good. 

2. ITALY DOWN TO CHARLEMAGNE. 

27. It has been seen that the Western Empire came to 
The ostro- ^^^ ^^^^ when the Visigothic chief, Odoacer, 
goths. became king of Italy. Odoacer went on gov- 
erning, professedly by authority derived from the Emperor 
of the East, but in reality giving very little heed to the 
Byzantine court. In the mean time the Ostrogoths, or 
Eastern Goths, had established an Ostrogothic kingdom 
between the Black Sea and the Adriatic, which was ruled 
by their young hero-king Theod'oric, or Dietrich. They 
were partly allies, but quite as much enemies, of the Em- 
peror of the East ; so the Emperor Zeno gave Theodoric 
a commission to march into Italy and bring that country 
back to the empire. The march of Theodoric was the 
emigration of an entire people, — the soldiers being accom- 
panied by their wives, children, and aged parents, with all 
their effects in an immense number of wagons. After a 
three years' struggle Odoacer was compelled to capitulate 
(a. d. 493), and he was soon after assassinated by his rival 
at a solemn banquet. 

28. Theodoric secured his conquest by distributing one 
Reign of The- third of the lands of Italy to his soldiers in 
odonc. military tenures. This partition was effected 
with very little violence to the ancient possessors, and the 



ITALY DOWN TO CHARLEMAGNE. 223 

Goths were instructed to spare the people and to reverence 
the laws. Under Theodoric's wise rule Italy revived, and 
Romans and Ostrogoths lived in peace and plenty : the fair- 
haired Goths, still wearing their furs and brogues, carried 
the sword, while the Romans, wrapped in the flowing toga, 
held the pen and filled the schools. So passed three-and- 
thirty years, until Theodoric died, in a. d. 526, and then 
fricrhtful scenes of blood were enacted over his fallen 

o 

throne. 

29. In the confusion that followed, the Byzantine gov- 
ernment took the opportunity to interfere. Reconquestby 
At this time the Emperor of the East was Justinian. 
Justinian, the first able ruler that had sat on the throne of 
Constantinople since the downfall of the Western Empire. 
His general, Belisa'rius, a man of great military talent, now 
marched with the imperial forces into Italy, and captured 
Rome. Nar'ses, the successor of Belisarius, completed the 
overthrow of the Ostrogothic power in Italy, a. d. 553. 
Italy was thus reduced to a Byzantine province, and was 
governed by rulers appointed from Constantinople and 
called Exarchs of Raven'na. 

30. Three years after the death of Justinian (a. d. 565), 
Italy, then a dependency of Constantinople Lombard in- 
and governed by an exarch residing at Raven- ^asion. 

na, was overwhelmed by the last of the three great Teuton- 
ic deluges. The Lombards (so called from their long bardi^ 
or spears,) moved from Central Europe, crossed the Alps, 
and descended into the basin of the Po, settling in the 
extensive district known even yet as Lombardy. They took 
possession of this region, and made Pavi'a their capital, 
A. D. 568. The Lombards treated the Italians with great 
cruelty, and committed ravages on every side. Among the 
results of such oppression was the flight of various Roman 
families to the islands and lagoons at the head of the Adri- 
atic, where, a few years before, had been laid the founda- 
tions of the Venetian state. 



224 MEDIEVAL HISTORY. 

31. While the Lombards overran the greater part of 

Italy, the Byzantine power still retained Ra- 

Later history. ^' ^ t.t 1 • r ^ 

venna, Rome, Naples, a portion of the coast- 
line, and most of the southern part. So we see that the 
Eastern Empire upheld its title in the peninsula, and for 
two hundred years the Lombard kings and the exarchs of 
Ravenna divided Italy between them. The last Lombard 
king was Deside'rius, who was made prisoner by Charle- 
magne in A. D. 774. This brings the history of Italy down 
to the time when it falls into the general history of the Em- 
pire of Charlemagne, and concerning this we are to learn 
fully hereafter. 

3. BEGINNINGS OF FRANCE. 

32. In the stormy period, when the Western Roman 

Empire was falling to pieces, various Teutonic 

Rise of France. ., ■,-,••, , , , • /-m i »-m 

tribes established themselves in Gaul, ihere 
were Visigoths and Burgundians and Franks, but in the 
end the Franks under Chlod'wig, or Clovis (which is the 
same as Ludwig, or Louis), got the upper hand ; so when 
Clovis fixed his capital at P^ris (Lute'tia), in a. d. 507, we 
may say that the foundation of France was laid. When 
the Franks came into Gaul they were pagans, but they were 
soon converted to be Christians. 

33. The Franks were too powerful and too far off for 
Relations to the Byzantine emperors to have much real 
Constantinople, authority ovcr them ; so they were held to be 
friends of the empire, and from Constantinople a gold 
crown and purple robes were sent to Clovis. 

34. On the death of Clovis, his dominions were divided 
Successors of among his four sons. For over a century, 
Clovis. during the whole period of the first Frankish 
dynasty (called Merovin gian, after Merowig, the supposed 
grandfather of Clovis), there is nothing to relate but a series 
of crimes and violences. Latterly the Frankish kings be- 
came mere imbeciles, and were too weak to be wicked even. 



BEGINNINGS OF ENGLAND. 225 

35. In this state of affairs a remarkable arrangement was 
made: the real power passed into the hands Mayors of the 
of a sort of prime minister styled the Mayor P^^^ce. 

of the Palace, — an officer chosen by the nobles to be the 
guide and controller of the sovereign. As the Mayor of 
the Palace had the command of the army, he was the real 
king and carried on all the affairs of the nation, while the 
phantoms of royalty called the " sluggard kings " {ro is fai- 
neants) combed the long yellow hair which they regarded 
as the sign of their kingship. 

36. One of the most celebrated of the Mayors of the 
Palace was Karl, or Charles, Martel, who up- 

, , , , ^ , . , . , , Charles Martel. 

held the Frankish power most vigorously, and, 

what is more, by his defeat of the Saracens in a. d. 732, 

saved all Europe from being subjugated by Mohammedan 

rule. 

The Saracenic invasion will be related in a subsequent chapter. 

37. The son of Charles Martel, Pepin, succeeded his 
father as Mayor of the Palace ; but under him 

this absurd arrangement was ended. He shut ^^' 
up the puppet-king in a convent, and was himself made king 
of the Franks and anointed such by the Pope a. d. 753. 
Thus the second, or Carlovin'gian, dynasty began. Now, 
Pepin's son and the inheritor of his crown was that very 
Karl, or Charles, who is known in history as Charlemagne ; 
and about him and his doings we shall learn more fully 
hereafter. 

4. BEGINNINGS OF ENGLAND. 

38. We must now look for a moment at another series 
of events happening in an obscure corner of the Angio-Saxon 
once great empire of the West, and see how the conquest, 
foundations of the nation that afterwards rose to be Eng- 
land were laid. The Roman troops had been withdrawn 



226 



MEDIEVAL HISTORY. 



from the province of Britain about half a century before the 
downfall of Rome, and the Britons, who belonged to the 




Celtic race, were left to shift for themselves. About the 
middle of the 5 th century various Teutonic tribes belonging 
to the Low-German stock, and coming from the old Low- 
German lands by the Elbe and the Weser, invaded Britain 
and won for themselves new homes there. They knew 
nothing and cared nothing for the language or arts of 
Rome, and. they did not, like the Franks and Goths, adopt 
the language and religion of the Romans. These swept 
everything before them, and the native Celtic Britons were 
killed, enslaved, or driven to the mountain regions of Wales 
and North Britain. 

39. Among these Low-German invaders there were three 
The three main tribcs, — the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes, 

tribes. T\\^ name Jute has left no memorial in Eng- 

land ; but the English people are still often spoken of as 
belonging to the Saxon race, while the speech which 
arose in the island from the intermixture of the various 
German dialects took the name of Anglo-Saxon, and Brit- 
ain changed its name to England, or the land of the Angles. 



RISE OF THE SARACENS. 



227 



40. The German immigrations to England went on from 
the middle of the 5th to the close of the 6th Growth of 
century ; so that in little more than a hundred England, 
years the greater part of that land which had been the Ro- 
man and Christian province of Britain had become the 
heathen land of the Angles and Saxons. In the course of 
the following century the Anglo-Saxons were Christianized 
by Roman missionaries. Various little kingdoms were 
formed, and wars were waged, — wars that, as Milton says, 
are of no more importance than " the battle of kites and 
crows," — till finally, early in the 9th century, under Egbert, 
who was a contemporary and friend of Charlemagne, the 
various petty dominions were united in the one kingdom of 
England. 

5. RISE OF THE SARACENS. 

41. We now come to a remarkable chapter in European 
history, — the invasion of Europe, the land of 
the Aryans, by a Semitic race, the followers 

of the famous Moham'med. Con- 
nected with this is the rise of a new 
religion and of a vast dominion that 
played a great part in the history of 
the Middle Ages. 

42. Ma'homet, or Mohammed, was 
born at the sacred city Mohammed's 
of Mecca, in Arabia, in ^^'^^ ^'^^■ 
the year 570 or 571. Till the age of 
forty he lived without exciting much 
remark, and was known only as an 
able, rich, and enterprising merchant, 
honorable in his dealings, and strictly 
truthful in all that he said. He could 
neither read nor write ; but his mer- 
cantile journeys to various parts of the peninsula, as well as 



Subject. 




Mahometan Emblems. 



228 MEDIEVAL HISTORY. 

to Syria and Palestine, had enlarged his store of informa- 
tion. In his frequent retirements to a mountain cave for 
secret thought and study, he developed a religious system 
of his own. He one day, at a meeting of his kinsmen, made 
the startling announcement that he had received a Divine 
commission to reform the faith and practice of the whole 
Arabian nation. He taught that though both the Jewish 
and the Christian religions were sent from God, yet he had 
himself received a more perfect one than either. He now 
called upon all his friends and kinsmen to acknowledge his 
authority, forsake their idols, and worship the one only true 
God. 

43. There can be no doubt that in his own country 
His system ; Mohammcd was a great reformer, that he gave 
its value. j-jjg countrymen a far more rational religion 
than they had been practicing, and that in the furnace blast 
of religious enthusiasm the scattered Arab tribes were fused 
into one nation. The doctrines of Mohammed, written down 
from time to time, received the name of the Koran ^ — that is, 
the " Reading " ; and the religion itself was called Islam ^ — 
that is, " Salvation." 

44. His wife and a few other immediate relatives were 
. the prophet's first disciples, and these did not 

increase very rapidly. The people of Mecca 
denounced him as a madman or an impostor, and in a little 
time he was forced to flee from Mecca to save his life. He 
betook himself, with his disciples, to what is now Medi'na. 
The date of this flight, or ffcgi'ra, as the Arabians call it, 
— July 15, 622 A. D., — has been adopted ever since as the 
chronological era in Mohammedan countries. At Medina 
he w^as received with open arms, — his doctrines having 
already made a number of converts in that place ; and here 
he built his first mosque, 

45. A complete change now came over Mohammed, — 
the dreamer became a red-handed soldier. " The sword," 



RISE OF THE SARACENS. 229 



cried he, " is the key of heaven and hell " ; and by the 
sword Islam was to be forced upon all men. Koran and 
Tribe after tribe was subdued ; and before the sword, 
lapse of ten years the whole peninsula acknowledged the 
sovereignty of Mohammed, and could boast of an unmixed 
population of Mos'lems^ or True Believers. The prophet 
was preparing to carry the new religion beyond the bounds 
of Arabia, when he was cut off by a fever at Medina in 
A. D. 632. 

46. Mohammed was succeeded in his power by rulers 
called his Ca'liphs, or Successors, the first of conquests of 
whom was his father-in-law, Abu-beker. They ^^^ Caiiphs. 
were at once spiritual and temporal rulers. The proselyting 
spirit of Mohammed had been communicated to his suc- 
cessors, and they began a long series of invasions, wars, and 
conquests. They everywhere gave men the choice of three 
things, — Koran, tribute, or sword. By these means the re- 
ligion of Mohammed was spread over a large part of Asia 
and Africa, and we shall presently see that it made its way 
into Europe also. 

47. The first countries assailed were the Oriental posses- 
sions of the Byzantine Empire. In the reisrn of 

A111 o- i^r ■ , The East. 

Abu-beker, Syria and Mesopotamia were sub- 
dued by Arabian armies. Under the next caliph, Omar, 
Egypt was conquered and Northern Africa overrun. In the 
course of their Egyptian conquests the victorious Moslems 
are charged with having burned the great Alexandrian 
Library ; but recent writers say it must have been destroyed 
long before Mohammed's day. The Arabs, or Saracens, as 
they were also called, met with comparatively little resist- 
ance in the Oriental countries, the countries beyond Mount 
Tau'rus ; and this may be accounted for by the fact that 
these were the parts of the Roman Empire in which both 
Roman law and Christianity had taken least hold. Thus 

the Eastern Empire was shorn of all its Oriental posses- 

16 



^30 MEDIMVAL HISTORY. 

sions ; and even the farther East — Persia and the lands 
beyond, to India — was added to the Moslem dominion. 

48. In the West, however, a stout resistance was en- 

countered. The Saracens besieged Constanti- 

In the West. , . , . , , • f 

nople, agamst which they carried on a siege of 
eight years (a. d. 668 - 675) ; but every assault was repelled 
by torrents of terrible Greek fire. A second siege, forty 
years afterwards, met a like result. In North Africa, too, 
they encountered long and obstinate resistance ; but finally 
the whole northern coast — Cyre'ne, Tripoli, Carthage — 
was subdued; and in a. d. 710 a host of turbaned Arabs, 
with unsheathed scimitars, under Tarik-ben-Zaid, crossed the 
narrow strait into Spain, and landed on the rock which 
commemorates the name of their leader (" Gibraltar," i. e. 
Jebel Tarik, the Mountain of Tarik). 

49. It will be remembered that a Visigothic kingdom 

had been established in Spain ; but Rod'erick, 
^ ' the " last of the Goths," was defeated on the 

field of Xeres, and the Saracens established themselves 
firmly in Spain. In the course of a few years they had pos- 
session of the whole peninsula, with the exception of the 
mountainous districts in the north, where the little Christian 
kingdom of the Astu'rias maintained itself. 

50. The ambition of the Saracens now overleaped the 
Saracenic ag- Pyrenees. They obtained a lodgement in 
gression. Southcm Gaul ; and after a time an able Sara- 
cenic commander, Abd-el-rahman, led a powerful Moham- 
medan army northward to subdue the land of the Franks. 
As far as the Loire everything fell before him, and it seemed 
that all Europe would come under Moslem sway. 

51. It was in the hour of need that Charles Martel ap- 

peared as a champion for Christendom. Gath- 

Their defeat. ^ . . , , ,0. 

ering a powerful army, he met the Saracens 
between Tours and Poitiers \^p7vat-yea'\ A desperate bat- 
tle, which lasted for seven days, ensued ; but on the seventh 



RISE OF THE SARACENS. 23! 

day the Saracens were defeated with great slaughter, a. d. 
732. This victory arrested forever the progress of the 
Mohammedan arms in Europe, and procured for Charles 
the expressive surname of " the Hammer " {Martel)^ by 
which he is known in history. 

52. While the Saracens were stopped from pushing their 
conquests farther into Europe, they firmly poothoid in 
established themselves in Spain, where they Spam. 
founded a kingdom that lasted for seven hundred years, — 
that is, till the very close of the Middle Ages. 

53. For a short time the vast dominion which the Sara- 
cens had conquered held together, and a Division of 
single caliph was obeyed in Spain and in pire. 
India. But soon disputes arose as to the right of succes- 
sion to the caliphate : wars and secessions took place, and 
in A. D. 755 the Saracenic empire was divided, — one caliph 
reigning in Spain and another in Bag'dad. 

54. In the East, the most distinguished of the Saracenic 
rulers was Haroun-al-Raschid (Aaron the Events in the 
Just), who became caliph in a. d. 786, and ^^^*- 

was a contemporary of Charlemagne. In the Arabian 
Nights we find a vivid picture of the city he ruled and the 
life he led. After the death of Haroun, the Eastern 
dominion of the Saracens was rent by civil strife ; one 
province after another broke off from the caliphate, till in 
the nth and 12th centuries it fell a prey to the Turks. 

55. In Spain, on the division of the Saracenic power, 
the rule was in the hands of the Ommi'yad 

1- 11 • 1 /^ / 1 T-. I" the West, 

Ime, and the capital was at Cordova. From 
this city the scepter of the Ommi'yades ruled during 283 
years (from a. d. 755- 1038) ; but in the nth century the 
supremacy of the Saracens gave place to the Moorish empire 
in Spain. 

56. In the intellectual history of the Middle Ages the 
Saracens played a remarkable part. When Europe was 



232 



MEDIEVAL HISTORY. 



sunk in the grossest ignorance, this clever people were 
Saracenic actively engaged in the cultivation of science, 

learning. learning, and the arts. The schools of Cordova 

vied with those of Bagdad in the collection of books and 
the encouragement of science, and from them proceeded 
nearly all that was original in the medicine, physics, and 
metaphysics of Europe during the Middle Ages. 

For additional details see chapter on "Civilization in the Middle 
Ages," page 282. 



ANALYTIC SYNOPSIS FOR REVIEW. 



Spain. 



f A Visigothic kingdom founded here just before the 
J downfall of Rome, — first of the new kingdoms, — lasts 
I for three centuries, till overthrown by the Saracens in 
I the first half of the 8th century. 

r The foundations of the Frankish kingdom laid by 
I Clovis, beginning of the 6th century, — Merovingian 
The Franks, j dynasty continues for about a century, — superseded by 
Pepin, son of Charles Martel and father of Charle- 
magne, who becomes king of the Franks about the 
middle of the 8th century. 

Invasion of Celtic Britain by Low-German tribes. 
Angles, Saxons, etc., just before the downfall of Rome, 

England \ — formation of various petty kingdoms, — all become 

practically united as England, in the early part of the 
. 9th century, under Egbert. 

The first barbarian kingdom of the Visigoths under 
Odoacer established A. D 476, — overthrown in less than 
twenty years by the Ostrogoths under Theodoric, — 
Italy J Ostrogothic kingdom lasts sixty years, — then over- 

thrown by the Eastern empire, and ruled by a Byzantine 
Exarch, — the Lombards take possession of all North- 
ern Italy, — and the Lombard kings and the Byzantine 
, Exarchs rule Italy till the time of Charlemagne. 



EMPIRE OF CHARLEMAGNE. 



233 




234 



MEDJAiVAL HISTORY. 



CHAPTER III. 



EMPIRE OF CHARLEMAGNE. 



57. An interesting chapter in the history of the Middle 
Subject treated Ages is now before us. We are to see how 
°^- the ruins of the dilapidated Western Empire 

were for a time rebuilt into 
an imposing structure by the 
genius of a great man, the 
grandest figure of the Middle 
Ages, — Charlemagne. 




58. Charlemagne was the 

Charlemagne's SOU of Pepin, the 

b^"-*^- first of the Carlo- 

vingian monarchs, — that Pe- 
pin who shut up the imbecile 
puppet-king of the Merovin- 
gian line and assumed the sovereignty of the Franks. He 
was born about a. d, 742. The real name of this great 
man was Karl, that is, Charles. Though best known by his 
French name of Charlemagne (Charles the Great), we must 
remember that he was no Frenchman in our sense of the 
term, but a thorough Teuton in birth, instinct, speech, and 
residence. 

59. The kingdom of the Franks, to which Charlemagne 
Prankish king- ^^ ^cir on the death of his father, formed an 
*^°"^- extensive dominion comprising portions of the 
two countries we now call France and Germany, — for it 
must be remembered that the specific countries, France and 
Germany, did not yet exist at all. 

60. At this time — the latter half of the 8th century — 
Italy was divided between the Lombards and the Eastern 



EMPIRE OF CHARLEMAGNE. 235. 

emperors, England had come into existence, but only as a 
number of feeble and warring states, Spain was contemporary 
under the rule of the Moslems. events. 

61. In the mean time the land of the Franks was lifting 
itself from out the surrounding barbarism of situation of 
the new races, and was the center of that *^^ Franks. 
Teutonic civilization which was struggling into existence. 
It is important to bear in mind the actual condition of the 
European world at the time Charlemagne came on the 
stage, for it will help us to understand the work he did, 
how far he succeeded and how far he failed. 

62. The ruling idea of Charlemagne was the re-establish- 
ment of the Roman Empire, — the building up Charlemagne's 
on German soil of that Colossus which had ^^^ign. 
toppled over because it rested on the too narrow basis of 
Latin nationality. In executing this design he aimed to 
use all the elements of civilization that the times presented, 
and especially these two great elements, — the political ideas 
and instincts of the Teutons, and the adhesive power of 
the Christian Church. Hence we find him, throughout his 
whole career, carefully cherishing all those old German 
institutions upon which the mass of his people looked with 
deep reverence, while at the same time we behold him the 
protector of the Pope and the loyal and ardent champion 
of the Church. 

63. It was in the effort to realize his grand idea that 
Charlemagne undertook the numerous wars object of his 
and expeditions that filled the forty-six years '^^'■^• 

of his reign. We shall not enter into the details of these 
wars ; but it is needful to understand their object and their 
result. 

64. The most important of Charlemagne's military en- 
terprises were directed ao;ainst the fierce paofan 

7. c r^ 11 •, , r, , . His foes. 

nations of Germany and the wild Scythians 

in the outlying lands beyond. To appreciate the impor- 



236 MEDIALyAL HISTORY. 

tance of these we must try to realize that the eastern fron- 
tier of the Prankish land, that is, the eastern boundary of 
Charlemagne's kingdom, on the German side of ihe Rhine, 
ran into and abutted on the extensive stretch of country in 
Middle Europe that was still in the hands of the various un- 
civilized tribes. As long as these nationalities remained in 
their warlike, savage, and pagan condition, they would press 
heavily on the struggling civilization of the Frankish king- 
dom, and would endanger, if not utterly destroy, its progress. 
Hence to subdue and especially to Christianize these tribes 
— to extend the domain of organized and law-governed so- 
ciety into the desert waste of Teutonic barbarism — was 
a main object with Charlemagne. 

65. With the Saxon confederation, formed by various 
Wars with pagan tribes on the Weser and the Elbe (the 
the Saxons. same tribcs from among which the Saxons 
and Angles, who conquered Britain three centuries before 
this, had gone forth), Charlemagne had the greatest trouble. 
He repeatedly marched into their country and subdued 
them ; but they constantly rose up again, and it was only 
after some terrible acts of vengeance, — for example, he one 
day had 4200 prisoners hanged, — that they at length sub- 
mitted to be baptized and to become peaceable subjects. 

66. Soon after this the Bava'rians attempted to render 
Eastern con- themsclvcs independent of the Frankish pow- 
quests. gj. i^y ^j-^g assistance of the Avars, a Tartar race 
living in what we now call Hungary (then Panndnid). Char- 
lemagne overpowered the Bavarians, incorporating Bavaria 
with his German territory; and he then revenged himself 
on the Avars by conquering them, taking their treasures, 
and annexing Hungary to his dominion. The result of 
Charlemagne's conquests on the east side of the Rhine was 
that Germany was for the first time all united under one 
head, and on that side the Frankish kingdom was extended 
to the confluence of the Danube with the Theiss and the 
Save. 



EMPIRE OF CHARLEMAGNE. 23/ 

67. Against the Saracens in Spain Charlemagne made 
an important expedition. The capture of Sar- 

1 • 1 » / 1 iwT , 1 • r Saracens. 

agos sa laid Aragon and Navarre' at his feet, 
and he united the whole country as far as the Ebro to his 
own kingdom as a Spanish province. During his return 
the rear-guard, under Roland, suffered a defeat in the valley 
of Roncesval'les, in which the bravest champions of the 
Franks were destroyed. This somewhat tarnished the lau- 
rels Charlemagne had won in Spain, but did not undo the 
substantial results of the campaign. 

68. We must now see what Charlemagne did in Italy. 
At this period the Lombards were very trouble- 
some to the Pope, and frequently assailed the ^ ^' 
Roman territory. Accordingly, when Pope Adrian I. called 
on Charlemagne for aid, the Prankish monarch crossed the 
Alps, defeated the Lombards, shut up their king in a mon- 
astery, and himself assuming the famous " iron crown " of 
Lombardy, united the whole of Upper Italy to the kingdom 
of the Franks (a. d. 773). At the same time he confirmed 
the gifts made by Pepin to the Pope. 

69. The general result of all the wars and conquests 
which we hive described was that by the year Extent of 

. . z. Charlemagne s 

800 Charlemagne, who had inherited from dominion. 
Pepin a kingdom scarcely equal to all Gaul, found himself 
lord of a dominion as large as the ancient Roman Empire 
of the West, and extending from the Ebro (in Spain) on the 
west to the Elbe in the northeast, the Theiss (Hungary) in 
the southeast, and including half of Italy, with Corsica, Sar- 
dinia, and the Balearic Isles. He fell heir to 2. kmgdom ; 
he was now master of an empire. 

70. The year a. d. 800 forms the climax of Charle- 
magne's reign. The sovereign had gone in crowned em- 
splendid state to visit Italy. On Christmas p^''^'"- 

day Charlemagne and his court were attending divine ser- 
vice in the church of St Peter's, at Rome. Suddenly, while 



238 MED I/EVA L HISTORY. 

the monarch was kneeling on the steps of the altar in 
prayer, the Pope, Leo III., placed a crown upon his head 
and solemnly saluted him as " Emperor of the West," with 
the title of Charles I., Caesar Augustus. 

71. The latter years of Charlemagne's life were spent in 
Charlemagne's labors for the Consolidation of his empire and 
energy. ^^ elcvation of his people. In activity, in a 
craving desire to be ever doing something, Charlemagne 
resembled Napoleon. From the affairs of his own house- 
hold to the state of the markets, and even to the mon- 
asteries in the most distant parts of his empire, he made 
himself acquainted with everything ; and he wearied out 
all about him by his astonishing powers of invention and 
labor and the amount of work he exacted from them. 

72. Charlemagne was a great patron of learning and 

learned men. He was himself a good Latin 
ip. s(>Jjq1^j.^ ^^^ j^g knew something of Greek. 
Wherever he was he was usually surrounded by learned 
churchmen, whom he drew to his court from all quarters, 
and with whom he delighted to hold conversations on liter- 
ary and other subjects. The emperor, his family, and all 
attached to his household formed what was called the 
" School of the Palace." Fond of literary pursuits, Charle- 
magne studied grammar, rhetoric, music, logic, astronomy, 
and natural history under his learned friends ; and even 
after he was considerably advanced in years he took the 
pains to acquire the art of writing, — an accomplishment 
then very unusual except among churchmen. 

73. Nor was the emperor's interest in education confined 
Education of to his owu houscliold. Each of the numer- 
the people. ^^g monasteries that he endowed was bound to 
maintain a school. He had copies of the writings of the 
ancient Romans made and distributed among the convents, 
he formed a collection of old German heroic ballads, and 
under his patronage church music was greatly improved. 



EMPIRE OF CHARLEMAGNE. 239 

74. Physically Charlemagne was of heroic stature and 
majestic appearance. In his habits he was Person and 
plain and unostentatious. He dined off four' i^^bits. 
dishes, and was very fond of roast venison, newly killed and 
served up to him on the spit. He hated drunkenness. At 
table, books of history and Augustine's " City of God " were 
often read aloud to him. His love for the national Prank- 
ish dress was so strong that he never, save on a few great 
occasions of state, exchanged it for the Roman garb. 

75. Charlemagne's favorite place of residence was at 
Aix-la-Chapelle' (in German, Aa'cheii). He _ .^ 

, . , ^ , . 1 r , . • Residence. 

made this the northern capital of his empire, 
as Rome was the southern, and built a magnificent palace 
there. When his power was confirmed by his coronation 
as Emperor of the West, all the world hastened to pay him 
homage. The Saracenic caliph, the famous Haroun-al-Ras- 
chid, who ruled the Eastern dominion of the Saracens, at 
Bagdad, exchanged courtesies with his great brother of the 
West, sending him, among other presents, an ape, an ele- 
phant, and a curious clock which struck the hours. 

76. Charlemagne died at the age of seventy-two, at Aix- 
la-Chapelle, in A. D. 814. The year before, he had caused his 
only living son, Louis, to assume the imperial End of his 
crown. But the vast structure that Charle- «'"?»'■«• 
magne had raised during his lifetime tottered and fell almost 
immediately after his death. Louis, known as the Gentle 
{le DehoTiJiain), was better fitted for the repose of a clois- 
ter than for the government of a warlike kingdom. His 
sons, among whom he divided the empire, turned their arms 
first against himself and then against one another. Finally, 
in A. D. 843, a treaty was made at Verdun', by which France, 
Germany, and Italy became separate and independent 
states ; so that, in less than thirty 3^ears after the death oi 
Charlemagne, the history of the Franks came to an end, 
and the history of France and of Germany began. 



240 



MliDJAi VA L HIS TOR Y. 



CHAPTER IV. 

THE FEUDAL SYSTEM. 

77. The aim of this chapter, and of the succeeding four 
Programme of chapters, is to present a general view of the 
topics. Middle Ages, — of those great historic facts 

common to all the nations of Europe during that epoch. 




Feudal Castle. 

Thus, all the nations of Europe were under that peculiar 
form of society called feudalism (and this will be treated 
of in the present chapter) ; all bore certain relations to the 
Papal Power (the subject-matter of the next chapter) ; all 
participated in the Crusades and in the spirit of Chivalry 
(the subject-matter of Chapters VI. and VII.) ; and all 
passed through the period named the Dark Ages, and 
shared in the intellectual revival which marked the latter 
part of the Middle Ages (described in Chapter VIII.). 



THE FEUDAL SYSTEM. 24 1 

78. The most marked feature of society in the Middle 
Ages was Feudalism, or the Feudal System. General state- 
This system sprang out of the peculiar relations "^^"^• 

or man to man among the various Teutonic tribes who ob- 
tained possession of the countries that had formed the West- 
ern Empire; by the nth century it had spread into all the 
lands to which the German conquests extended ; it con- 
tinued throughout the whole Middle 'Ages, and it passed 
away only with that extensive series of changes that marked 
the advent of modern history proper, 

79. Every free German who had helped his chief in con- 
quering the country received as his share of the origin of the 
spoil a particular estate, which was called his system. 
allodium^ or freehold^ — this estate being absolutely his own 
property. The chief or king, as a matter of course, received 
a very large domain as Jiis share. Now, after a time, it be- 
came usual for him to grant portions of this his own domain 
to his followers and favorites, on condition of their being 
faithful to him and doing him service in war. The land so 
granted was called a feudum., or fief., and land held in this 
way was said to be held by 2^. feudal tetwre. This " tenure," 
or way of holding, was totally unlike the property that was 
allodial., or allotted. The latter was a man's very own ; 
while land held by the feudal tenure was not the soldier's 
property by right, but was retained only during the pleasure 
of the real owner, and so long as the conditions agreed on 
were lived up to. The real owner was the lord^ suzerain., or 
liege, while the person to whom he granted the land was 
called his vassal, liegeman., or refaifier. 

80. Just as the kings made these feudal grants to their 
favorites, so the holders of extensive allods Growth of the 
(that is, grants made to them from the first as system, 
absolutely their own) gave away portions of these to the less 
wealthy, to be held by feudal tenure, and thus obtained 
liegemen or vassals of their own. Bishops and abbots also 

II p 



242 MEDIEVAL HISTORY. 

gave grants of extensive tracts received from the kings to 
knights, who held these lands as vassals of the bishops and 
abbots, — that is, they were bound to defend the monastery 
and supply a certain number of troops when the king made 
a general levy. 

81. The usual tenure by which vassals held their fiefs 
Duties of a was that of military service and homage, — in 
liegeman. other words, the proprietors who held fiefs from 
the king were bound to attend his court on occasions of 
ceremony, and to assist him, in case of war, with a certain 
number of men ; and the smaller proprietors, who held fiefs 
under great lords, were in like manner bound to appear at 
the castles of their lords, when summoned, and to render 
them military service. The lord, on the other hand, was 
bound to protect his vassals. 

82. It soon happened that the feudal tenure of property 
Feudalism prevailed over every other. The great nobles 
universal. were but too glad to become vassals of the 
kings, in return for the rich gifts which they had to bestow ; 
so also the holder of a small allod^ or freehold, would often, 
of his own accord, give it up to a powerful lord in his neigh- 
borhood, whose protection he wished to secure, receiving it 
back from him as a fief. Gradually, therefore, almost the 
whole property of a country became a connected system of 
fiefs ; and society, from the king down to the poorest free- 
man, consisted of a chain of ranks, each retaining from that 
above it. Kings themselves were vassals of other kings for 
estates lying out of the boundaries of their own sovereignty. 
Thus William the Conqueror, monarch of England, was, as 
Duke of Normandy, a vassal of the king of France. 

83. To understand the practical operation of the feudal 
Illustration systcm, it is best to fancy what took place in a 
from war. country about to undertake a war. The king 
summoned his vassals, or retainers, to appear in the field at 
a certain time, with a certain military retinue ; these vassals, 



THE FEUDAL SYSTEM. 243 

generally the chief nobles of the kingdom, made a similar 
claim upon their retainers or liegemen, the smaller proprie- 
tors ; and they, in their turn, summoned the farmers and 
yeomen who stood to them in the relation of feudal obe- 
dience. The army thus consisted of bands of freemen, each 
armed at his own cost, or at the cost of his feudal superior, 
and each following the banner of his chief. 

84. We have thus far been considering the holders of 
land ; but in feudal society the great mass of 

the people were not freeholders at all, but 
serfs. The serfs were not actual slaves ; that is to say, they 
could not be bought and sold man by man ; but they were 
bound to the land, and passed with it when // changed 
hands. In addition to the serfs there were also actual 
slaves, — those who became slaves by being made prisoners 
of war or by being condemned to slavery for some crime. 

85. A fief consisted properly of two things, — the castle 
in which the lord, or proprietor, lived with his Nature of a 
family and men-at-arms ; and the village., or *^^*^- 
attached iio7nain, inhabited by the tillers of the soil. These 
were either villains (inhabitants of the ville or village)., who 
were freeborn men renting land or serving for wages, or 
serfs, who were the born thralls of the lord of the soil. 

86. Feudalism- had ^spread into all the lands conquered 
by the Teutonic tribes before it reached Eng- The system 
land ; and it was first introduced there in its *" England. 
perfection by William of Normandy, when he conquered the 
country in a. d. 1066. He, as conqueror, claimed the right 
of giving estates to whomsoever he pleased, on condition 
of receiving in return military service and aids of money. 

87. As the Normans, on going into England, entered a 
conquered country, their first thought was to Norman cas- 
build dwellings for safety ; and to insure this *^*^^- 

they erected strong castles, and surrounded them with thick 
walls and a ditch. These buildings usually consisted of 



244 MEDIEVAL HISTORY. 

three divisions, namely, the inner and outer courts., and the 
keep^ which formed the baron's residence. The entrance 
to the castle was guarded by the barbacan, which in most 
cases was a strong gateway in front of the main gate. 
The passage through the gateway could be closed, in addi- 
tion to the gates, by a spiked iron grating, called a port- 
cn/lis, which was let down from above, and the archway 
was pierced with holes, through which melted lead and boil- 
ing pitch could be poured upon an enemy. The gray ruins 
of many of these castles, found here and there throughout 
England, give a vivid idea of the massive strength of the 
homes of the nobility in the feudal times. 

88. By many writers feudalism has been painted in ro- 
Eviis of feu- mantic colors ; but, in spite of this gilding, it 
daiism. jg plain that the system was a bad one. The 
mass of the people had no guaranteed rights, they were at 
the mercy of the lords ; and though we may believe that un- 
der good proprietors the condition of the people may not 
have been invariably or necessarily unhappy, yet that sys- 
tem is radically vicious which makes one man subject to the 
will and caprice of another. Indeed, it is certain that under 
this system there were monstrous abuses. The feudal bar- 
ons, withdrawn within their gloomy castles, and surrounded 
by a dependent and isolated village of serfs and tenants, 
grievously oppressed the people, who had no redress, seeing 
that the nobles were the 7nagistrates of the fief. 

89. At the same time the feudal government retarded 
Effect on the the growth of 7iationality. Everything tended 
"^^*°"- to isolation ; a kingdom was a cluster of con- 
federated powers under a common head ; but that head, 
the king or emperor, lacked real power, since, though the 
nobles and barons owed feudal allegiance to the suzerain, 
obedience, when refused, could be enforced only by war. 
In fact, the system was a reign, not of law, but of laiv- 
lessjiess. 



THE FEUDAL SYSTEM. 245 

90. The three influences that gradually undermined feu- 
dalism were : i. Rovaliy ; 2. The Municipalities ; Enemies of 

3. The C/er^y. A word regarding each. feudalism. 

91. The increase of the power of royalty was directly- 
opposed to feudalism ; for just in proportion influence of 
as the central authority was strengthened, the ^°y^^^y- 
power of the nobles was weakened. At the outset, in the 
new Teutonic kingdoms of France, Germany, Italy, Spain, 
and England, the monarch was to the great nobles merely 
what these were to their vassals, — the heed of a system of 
fiefs. But very soon the monarchs began to center powcF 
in themselves, and then they came into antagonism with 
feudalism. The reason of this was, that, being head of the 
whole, the kings were the first to be inspired with the idea 
of Jiationality. They sought to pierce down through the 
intermediate ranks of barons, counts, etc., to the real peo/le 
themselves. They thus to some extent put themselves on 
the side of the lower ranks. At the same time, by issuing 
decrees to be put in force over the whole kingdom, the 
throne became the fountain of la7c>, as something distinct 
from the mere iciill of the feudal chiefs. 

92. The second influence mentioned is the rise of the 
municipalities. Under the Roman system . . 

^ ^ . Of the cities. 

there had been numerous free, self-governing 
cities throughout the empire. Many of these survived the 
shock of the Teutonic invasions, and formed little republics 
or self-governing communities in the midst of the feudal 
society. Moreover, feudalism itself gradually created 
similar communities. In the turbulence of the times, popu- 
lation tended to crystallize around the castles of feudal 
chiefs. The lords, finding themselves greatly strengthened 
by this, began to see that it would be to their advantage 
to grant the inhabitants certain privileges. Hence arose 
towns., governed by officers — provosts and bailiffs — 
appointed by the lord, and the still more highly favored 



246 MEDIEVAL HISTORY. 

boroughs^ — that is, towns possessing regular charters which 
conceded them the right of governing themselves by magis- 
trates, such as mayors and aldermen, chosen by the burgh- 
ers, or free inhabitants. These towns and boroughs were 
oases of freedom amid the desert of feudal despotism. It 
was here that there arose that great power in European 
society, the Commons^ or free middle class, that in the end 
not only overthrew feudalism, but tempered the despotism 
of kings, and brought about limited, representative monarchy. 

93. The Church, in its efforts to establish absolute 
^^ ^ , dominion in matters spiritual, naturally souo^ht 

Of the clergy. ,, • ,r • , • / 

to ally Itself with a great centralized power. 
Hence we find that the clergy usually sided with the kings, 
and against the nobles. Moreover, the clergy owned more 
than one half of the entire landed property of most Euro- 
pean countries. Finally, the humane sentiments of Chris- 
tianity, the doctrine of the common brotherhood of man, 
became a powerful agency in checking the injustice and 
the arbitrary power of the feudal lords. 

94. Among other influences that co-operated towards the 
Other influ- destruction of feudalism, were the Crusades, 
ences. ^^ change of the mode of war following the 
invention of gunpowder, the extension of commerce, and in 
general the progress of knowledge. 

95. It was a system that was not wholly bad : it must 

have been in some desrree adapted to the 

Summing up, . , . . , , , • , 

times, otherwise it could not have existed at 
all ; but it belonged to a state of society essentially barba- 
rous, and it was overthrown by that very civilization which 
it could not keep from growing up in its very midst. 



GROWTH OF THE FATAL FOWER. 



247 



CHAPTER V. 



GROWTH OF THE PAPAL POWER 



g6. The steps by which Christianity became the rehgion 
of the Roman Empire have already been subject 

traced. We must ^^^ted of. 
now see how that mighty or- 
ganization, the Latin or Cath- 
ohc Church, arose, and how it 
became a great power above 
kings and emperors, holding 
for centuries a controlling in- 
fluence over the political affairs 
of Europe. Some knowledge 
of the history of the Papacy, 
as this dominion of the Latin 
Church is called, is absolutely 
necessar)' to a comprehension 
of the Middle Ages. 
97. On the overthrow of the Western Empire the Bishop 
of Rome, as the first personage in what had ^P^^"" ofj-^e 
been the capital of the world, was naturally Rome, 
invested with great influence, and looked up to, not only in 
religious matters, but even in political affairs. Indeed, in 
the universal wreck, it was the Church alone that kept up 
the organization of society. The very barbarians who over- 
threw the Roman Empire were themselves brought under 
the sway of the Church ; for, barbarians though they were, 
the Teutons had a deep vein of earnestness in their char- 
acter. Again, the state of affairs in Italy had much to do 
with giving the Roman bishops great influence. When, 
under Justinian, the Ostrogoths were overthrown and Italy 




Papal Insignia. 



248 MEDIEVAL HISTORY. 

came under the dominion of the Eastern Empire, the repre- 
sentatives of the Byzantine Emperor did not Hve at Rome, 
but at Ravenna. This caused the power of the bishops of 
Rome to grow greater and greater. The Roman bishop, 
or pontiff,* was called Pater^ or Fapa^ father (whence Eng- 
lish Fope^), and he had a vast moral influence, though as 
yet no temporal power. How temporal power was first ac- 
quired will now be told. 

98. The Lombards, who in the 8th century had fully 
The Lombards established their kingdom in Northern Italy, 
and Pepin. took cvcry Opportunity to enlarge their terri- 
tory at the expense of the Eastern Empire. They made 
themselves masters of Ravenna, Rome, etc. But this was 
not a change that was at all agreeable either to the popes 
or to the Roman people ; hence the aid of Pepin, father 
of Charlemagne, was asked. Pepin came and saved Rome, 
and won from the Lombards the territory of the Exarchate 
of Ravenna. He then took a step that led to mighty re- 
sults : he bestowed this territory on the popes, and this was 
the beginning of the temporal power of the Catholic Church. 
When Charlemagne had overthrown the Lombard kingdom, 
and was crowned king of Italy and afterguards Emperor of 
the West (a. d. 800), he confirmed the grant which his father 
Pepin had made to the popes. 

99. After the death of Charlemagne there was a long 
The popes and period — nearly two centuries — of confusion, 
the emperors, u^dcr the wcak rulc of the Carlovingian kings 
of France, Italy, and Germany. During all this time the 
Papal power grew, and exercised a great authority in politi- 

* The name "pontiff" is derived from the Pontifex maximtcs, the 
chief officer of the old pagan religion of Rome. 

t Till the time of Pope Gregory VII., the title of Pope was given 
to all bishops alike ; he, however, in 1076 decreed that thenceforth it 
should be applied only to the Roman " papa," or pontiff, prefixing at the 
same time the epithet sanctus, whence the modern style, " His Holiness 
the Pope." 



GROWTH OF THE PAPAL POWER. 249 

cal matters. When, however, in the middle of the loth 
century, the sovereigns of Germany came to be Emperors 
of the West, a long and bitter struggle between the popes 
and the emperors began. The Italians did not like to be 
under German dominion, and the popes became naturally 
the center round which all the anti-German feeling gathered. 
The popes, as temporal rulers of Rome, were vassals of the 
emperor ; but as the spiritual head of Christendom, they 
held a position of peculiar importance. 

100. The struggle first broke out on the question of the 
election of the popes. The emperors claimed Narrative of 
that a ratification by them, of any one elected ^^^ quarrel, 
by the College of Cardinals to be Pope, was necessary to 
make the election valid. Of course, the emperors sought 
to have popes chosen who were favorable to iheir views. 
In the first part of the contest the emperors had things 
much their own way, and undertook to appoint German 
bishops to the pontificate, and to carry matters with a high 
hand. But they were to be humbled in a most remarkable 
manner, by the dauntless energies of one man, a humble 
monk of Soa'na, son of a poor carpenter of Tus'cany. This 
was Hil'debrand, afterwards known as Gregory VII., one of 
the most illustrious men of the Middle Ages. 

101. Hildebrand was called to Rome, in a. d. 1049, by 
Pope Leo IX., to assist in the Papal councils as 
chancellor and cardinal. This ofHce he held 

for twenty years, under five successive popes, over whom 
he exercised the ascendency of a great mind. It was dur- 
ing this time that he matured his plan for the complete 
emancipation of the Church. Believing that the Church 
supplied the only means by which the regeneration of 
Europe could be effected, he aimed to set that body above 
all merely earthly power, — a daring project ; but the 
dreadful evils of the period required a powerful remedy. 

102. In 1073 Hildebrand rose to the Papal throne, wiih 



250 



MEDIEVAL HISTORY. 




Gregory VII. 



set this decree at defi- 



Henry IV. and 
Hildebrand, 



the title of Gregory VII. His first measure was to strike 

What he did ^ ^^"^^ ^^ ^^^^ ^^^ called the " right of in- 
vestiture," claimed 
by the emperors. This was the 
right of bestowing on bishops 
and abbots the ring and staff 
that were the symbols of their 
office, — a form which declared 
their feudal vassalage to the em- 
peror. Now, Gregory caused it 
to be ordained by a council, that 
if any one should accept inves- 
titure from a layman, both the 
giver and the receiver should be excommunicated. 
103. The Emperor Henry IV. 

ance. Upon this the Pope solemnly excom- 
municated the emperor, and absolved his subjects 
in Germany and Italy from their oath of allegia?ice ! Enraged 
at this, Henry prepared for war. But soon there was 
brought home to him a vivid realization of the appalling 
power of that unseen dominion that had arisen to sway the 
minds of men. In every quarter of his empire monks and 
friars preached against him, insurrections arose on every 
hand, and Henry, who entered Italy with the vow of ven- 
geance, was forced to become a humble suitor for mercy 
at the hands of Gregory. On the 21st of January, 1077, 
the Emperor Henry proceeded to Canos'sa, where the Pope 
resided, to seek the pardon of his powerful foe. It was a 
wonderful scene. The most potent sovereign of Europe 
had to suffer the deepest humiliation ever brooked by mon- 
arch. It was only after the most abject confessions of his 
error, and standing for three days in an outer court of the 
castle, amid the cold of winter, barefoot, and clad only in 
a woolen shirt, that he was absolved, and the dread inter- 
dict removed. Henry, however, had his revenge ; he re- 



GROWTH OF THE PAPAL POWER. 25 I 

newed the war, and Gregory, forced to flee from Rome, died 
in exile at Saler'no (a. d. 1085). 

104. The successors of Gregory steadily adhered to his 
policy, and as the Papacy remained un- Policy of 
changed while all Europe was shaken by revo- successors, 
lutions, every day brought fresh accessions to the Papal 
side. The kings of Portugal, Aragon, England, Scotland, 
Sardinia, the two Sicilies, and others became vassals to the 
Roman pontiffs. At length the German Emperor, Henry V., 
yielded, and by a treaty signed at Worms (a. d. 1122) for- 
mally resigned all claim to investitures. 

105. Innocent III. (1198-1216) vastly increased the 
Papal power. He forced the Imperial Prefect 

\^ „ . , . TT Innocent III. 

at Rome to swear allegiance to him. He set 
on foot a Crusade that crushed the Al'bigenses of France. 
He humbled King John of England, and imposed a tribute 
upon him. In fact, he claimed to be Sovereign of Europe, 
— an earthly King of kings. 

106. The narrative of how this claim was maintained, 
and how, on the other hand, it was opposed, 

. Result. 

fills a large chapter in the history of the Middle 
Ages. The full recital cannot be given here. It is even 
hard to say which party won in the end. On this point a 
great authority observes : " We may perhaps say that the 
popes did succeed in overthrowing the power of the em- 
perors, but that they had themselves to yield in the end to 
the power of other temporal princes." 



MEDIEVAL HISTORY. 



■J ?.^ 1 3^ ^ 




TJIE CRUSADES. 



"30 



CHAPTER VI. 



THE CRUSADES. 



INTRODUCTION. 



107. During two hundred years, — comprising the whole 
of the i2th and the 13th centuries, — the mo^t General state- 
important events of ELuropean history had n^^"'^- 
relation to that series of extraordinary expeditions known 




Crusaders before Jerusalem. 

as the Crusades. This term is derived from the French 
word croisade (croix, the cross), which means war of the cross. 
The Crusades were undertaken by the Western nations of 
Europe for the recovery of the Holy Land from the Sara- 
cens and Turks. 



254 MEDIyEVAL HISTORY. 

108. It had been customary, from an early period in the 

history of Christianity, for behevers from every 
part of the Christian world to make pilgrim- 
ages to the Holy Land of Palestine. Whilst the Saracens 
remained masters of Palestine they encouraged and pro- 
tected visitors, whose arrival brought them considerable 
profit. But when the Selju'kian Turks, in the middle of the 
nth century, became masters of Asia Minor and Syria, the 
Christians, whether residents or pilgrims, were subjected to 
the most cruel treatment. Every day brought back to 
Europe weary palmers who had been scoffed at and spit 
upon by the Infidels, as the Mohammedans were called. 

109. The news of the cruelties perpetrated by the Turks 
The feeling o^"^ the Christians of Palestine produced a 
aroused. deep feeling of indignation throughout West- 
ern Europe, and aroused a strong desire to arrest the 
progress of the hated religion of Mohammed, and recover 
the Holy Land from Moslem desecration. 

110. This desire was roused into action by the enthu- 
Peter the Her- siasm of a monk called Peter the Hermit. 
"^^*- This extraordinary man was a native of Am- 
iens, in France. He followed the wars in his youth, then 
became a monk, afterwards retired to absolute solitude, 
and finally made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. There wit- 
nessing the cruelties of the Turks, he became possessed 
with the idea that he was inspired by Heaven to deliver 
the Holy Sepulcher from their hands. 

111. On his return to Europe Peter repaired to the 

Papal Court, and found in the Pope, Urban 
IS preac mg. ^^^ ^^ astonishcd but ready Hstener to his 
bold project. Encouraged by the Pope, he travelled over 
Italy and France, everywhere proclaiming the sacred duty 
of delivering the sepulcher of Christ from the hands of the 
Infidels. He is described as emaciated by self-inflicted 
austerities and wayfaring toil, diminutive in stature, mean 



THE CRUSADES. 255 



in appearance, and clad in those coarse weeds of a solitary 
from which he derived his surname of the Hermit. But he 
was fluent in speech, and the vehement sincerity of his feel- 
ings supplied him with the only eloquence that would have 
been intelligible to the popular passions of his times. 

112. The chroniclers of the period exhaust language in 
describing the innumerable crowds of all ranks Effect of his 
which thronged cities and hamlets, churches preaching, 
and highways, at his voice ; the tears, the sighs, the indigna- 
tion excited in these multitudes by his picture of the wrongs 
of their Christian brethren, and the sacrilegious defilement 
of the Holy Sepulcher ; the shame and remorse which fol- 
lowed his reproaches at the guilty supineness that had 
abandoned the blessed scenes of redemption to the insults 
of Infidels ; the eager reception of his injunctions to every 
sinner to seek reconcilement with Heaven by devotion to 
its cause ; and the rapture which his denunciations of ven- 
geance against the Saracen enemies of God awakened in 
the stern hearts of congregated warriors. 

113. The cause was now taken up openly by the Pope, 
and two councils were held on the subject in council of 

A. D. 1095. At the second, held at Clermont, ciermont. 
in France, the Pope addressed a great multitude assembled 
from all parts of Europe. As he proceeded the enthusiasm 
of the crowd found vent in cries of Deus vult, and the 
slightly varied acclamations of Dieux el volt and Deus lo 
volt* — " It is the will of God ! '' At the instant when their 
cries resounded throughout the vast assembly, the figurative 
injunction of Scripture to the sinner, to take up the cross of 
Christ, suggested to Urban the idea that all who embraced 
the sacred enterprise should bear on their shoulder or breast 
that symbol of salvation. The proposal was eagerly adopted, 

* Dieux el volt and Deus lo volt were the popular corruptions which 
the pure Latin, Deus vult, had undergone in the two great Northern and 
Proven9al dialects of France. 



256 MEDIEVAL HISTORY. 

and few there were who left the old market-place on that 
day without a red cross on the shoulder, to mark them as 
Croises, or soldiers of the cross. The following spring was 
appointed as the time for beginning the movement to the 
East 

2. THE FIRST CRUSADE (A. D. 1096 -1099). 

114. Long before the season — August the 15th — fixed 

on by the Pope for the departure of the Cru- 

First rush. ,11 • i i • • r , 

saders had expired, the nnpatience of the ruder 
multitudes of people grew too violent for restraint. Soon 
after the commencement of the new year an immense con- 
course of pilgrims, chiefly of the lowest classes, and consist- 
ing not of men alone, but also of women and children, had 
thronged around Peter the Hermit, on the eastern frontiers 
of France, and urged him, as the original preacher of the 
sacred enterprise, to assume its command. Apparently un- 
conscious of his utter unfitness for command, the fanatic 
rashly accepted the perilous charge ; and under his guid- 
ance, and that of a Burgundian knight named Walter the 
Penniless, the accumulating torrent began to sweep over 
Germany. 

115. The several bands composing this vanguard of the 

Crusades, amountins^ to more than 2^50,000, 

Narrative. , ' , , ^ ^^ -^ ' ' 

took the route through Germany, Hungary, 
Bulgaria, and Thrace ; but being without organization or 
provision, they committed the most dreadful devastations 
in the countries through which they passed, and were mostly 
dispersed and exterminated by the enraged Hungarian 
peasantry. Remnants of the bands succeeded in crossing 
the Bosphorus at Constantinople, but these were soon cut to 
pieces by the Turks. Such was the disastrous beginning of 
the Crusade, — a quarter of a million of individuals swept 
out of existence, altogether without result. 

116. Meanwhile the real chivalry of Europe had been 



THE FIRST CRUSADE. 257 

mustering for the enterprise. None of the sovereigns 
took part in the movement ; but the feudal Main move- 
chiefs, each at the head of his own vassals, "^^"*- 
ranged themselves under distinguished leaders, — Godfrey 
of Bouillon', Duke of Lower Lorraine' (in the modern 
kingdom of Belgium), Robert, Duke of Normandy, and 
others. Six separate armies were thus formed, which 
marched by different routes to Constantinople. 

117. The appearance of this vast host — amounting to 
at least 600,000 men, exclusive of women and 

priests — alarmed the Greek Emperor with the 
fear that the Latin princes might seek to secure the mas- 
tery of the East for ilmnselves^ and not for him. It was 
only by the threat of attacking Constantinople that he was 
made to withdraw his opposition, and further the transit of 
the Crusaders into Asia Minor. Here all the great divis- 
ions of the crusading levies made a junction, and their 
numbers were increased by the wretched remnants of the 
preceding mob, who, with Peter the Hermit himself, found 
their way from various places of refuge to the general 
muster. 

118. The real nerve of the grand army consisted of the 
mailed cavalry, amounting to over 100,000 Description of 
men. This superb body of horse was com- *^^ army, 
posed of the flower of the European chivalry: knights, 
esquires, and their attendant men-at-arms, completely 
equipped with the helmet and shield, the coat and boots of 
chain and scale armor, the lance and the sword, the battle- 
ax and the ponderous mace of iron. The crowd of foot- 
men fought principally with the long and cross bow ; but 
they formed a miserable contrast to the splendor of the 
chivalric array, which glittered in the blazonry of embroid- 
ered and ermined surcoats, shields and head-pieces inlaid 
with gems and gold, and banners and pennons distinguish- 
ing the princely and noble rank of chieftains and knights. 

Q 



258 MEDIAEVAL HISTORY. 

119. The first movement of the Crusaders was directed 
Advance a^ainst Nice, or Nicae'a, in Asia Minor. This 

through Asia , i i 1 >-> i t 1 • 

Minor. place was captured by the Crusaders. In their 

advance through Asia Minor, a march of 500 miles was still 
to be made before they could touch the confines of Syria, 
and the Sultan of Roum was prepared to offer a formidable 
resistance. With an immense cloud of cavalry — the num- 
ber is put at 300,000 horse — he hovered around the Cru- 
saders ; and at Dorylas'um he suddenly fell upon one of 
the two main divisions while on the march. So sudden 
was the onset, that the victory was at first with the Turks ; 
but rallying, and being reinforced by the other division, 
the Crusaders fell upon the enemy. In close combat, the 
supple dexterity of the Asiatics, armed with the curved 
scimitar and light javelin, could make but a feeble opposi- 
tion to the ponderous strokes of the European arm wield- 
ing the long pointed sword and gigantic lance. In a direct 
charge the Turkish cavalry was completely overpowered, 
and of the mighty host 30,000 were slain. This was prob- 
ably one of the most tremendous cavalry battles ever 
fought. 

120. But what Sol'yman could not accomplish in the 
Sufferings on fi^^d he largely effected in another way. He 
the march. made the country through which the Cru- 
saders were to march a waste. Hundreds died, on every 
day's march, of want, of fatigue, of raging thirst or its fatal 
gratification. The horses in particular died in such num- 
bers that 30,000 men were dismounted on this mirch, and 
had to trudge along, fainting with the weight of their armor, 
under the burning sun. At last they saw, set in the emer- 
ald meadows that line the Oron'tes, the fair turrets of the 
Syrian An'tioch. (See map, page 252.) 

121. To lay siege to the capital of Syria was now the 
Siege of Anti- ^^sk of the Crusadcrs. But this task was 
^^^- pursued amid great difficuldes. For seven 



THE FIRST CRUSADE. 259 

months the city held out, and during this time the besiegers 
had to suffer the horrors of famine and pestilence. Their 
horses were either starved, or killed for food, and erelong, 
of the 100,000 horses with which the march was begun, 
only 2000 remained. Finally, by the treachery of a Syrian 
officer, the Crusaders were able one dark stormy night to 
surprise and capture the city, June, 1098. 

122. No sooner was Antioch captured than the Cru- 
saders were in their turn besieged in that city Events in An- 
by an army of 200,000 Mohammedans, sent ^1°^^^- 

by the Persian sultan. A second and still more terrible 
famine was suffered. But finally the Crusaders, by a bold 
sally, completely overthrew the besieging host. The way 
was now open to Jerusalem, and thither the columns 
headed, — columns, however, that were sadly reduced ; for 
of the immense host, perhaps 600,000 men, which had origi- 
nally formed the siege of Nice, so enormous had been the 
losses by the sword and the climate, by famine and pes- 
tilence, desertion and conquest, that the total force which 
advanced from Antioch amounted to only 1500 cavalry 
and 20,000 foot-soldiers, with about an equal number of 
unarmed pilgrims and camp-followers. 

123. From Antioch to Jaffa, 300 miles, the Crusaders 
moved alono^ the sea-shore. Then they struck ^ ^ 

^ . -^ , To Jerusalem 

mto the interior country, traversmg a region 
filled with places which hourly recalled some sacred associa- 
tion. At last the Holy City burst upon their enraptured 
gaze. In that glorious sight, the long-cherished object, 
promise and reward of their hopes, every toil was forgot- 
ten, every suffering repaid. The single mighty passion of 
a host suddenly broke forth in joyful exclamations and 
embraces ; and the whole armed multitude, as with one 
impulse, sinking on their knees, prostrated themselves, and 
poured out their tears over the consecrated soil. 

124. The deliverance of the Holy City and Sepulcher 



26o MEDIy^VAL HISTORY. 

Still remained to be accomplished. At this time Jerusalem 
Siege of the was in the possession, not of the Turks, but 
*^'*y* of the Saracenic caliph of Egypt, who was 

head of an independent government, and had recently won 
Palestine from the Turks. The caliph was determined to 
make a stout resistance ; so a siege had to be begun. Under 
a sky of burning copper, with no water in the pools and 
brooks, the Crusaders fought for five long weeks before 
Godfrey and his stormers stood victorious within the walls, 
July, 1099. The massacre of 70,000 Moslems and the burn- 
ing of the Jews in their synagogue stained the glory of the 
conquerors. 

125. Jerusalem was now erected into a Christian king- , 
Kingdom of dom. The princely and noble chieftains of I 
Jerusalem. |-}-^g crusading host by their free vote pro- 
claimed Godfrey of Bouillon king of the Holy City, July 
23, 1099. Godfrey, however, modestly refused a regal I 
crown, nor would he assume any other title than that of I 
Defender of the Tomb of Christ. Still, from the election I 
of Godfrey of Bouillon may not the less be dated the 
foundation of the .Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, after 
the Holy city had been four hundred and fifty years in 
the hands of the Mohammedans. The great design of the 
First Crusade was accomplished. 

126. After this victory many of the actors in the great 
drama went home. Among these was Peter the Hermit, 
who closed his days in a French monastery. The noble 

and chivalric Godfrey reigned five days less 
than a year, when he died at the age of forty. 
So just and paternal had been his rule, that he was regretted 
alike by Moslems and Christians. He was succeeded by 
his brother Baldwin, who transmitted the crown of Jerusa- 
lem to his kinsman, Baldwin du Bourg, whose posterity 
continued to reign in Palestine until the kingdom was over- 
thrown by Saladin in a. d. 1187. 



THE SECOND CRUSADE. 26; 



3. SECOND CRUSADE (A. D. 1147-1149).. 

127. During a period of half a century the Christian do- 
minion in the East maintained itself against situation in 
the attacks of the surrounding Mohammedans. **^^ ^^^^• 
But after the lapse of fifty years dangers began to arise 
threatening the very existence of the Christian kingdom. 
One of the Turkish emirs^ or governors, took the Christian 
principality of Edes'sa (see map, page 252), and slaughtered 
the Christian inhabitants (a. d. i 145). 

128. The news of the fall of Edessa startled the Chris- 
tian residents in Palestine, and led them to Effect in 
appeal to Europe for assistance. This appeal ^^rope. 

was received with a general enthusiasm almost equal to that 
which marked the First Crusade. The pure and devoted 
St. Bernard preached a new Crusade. Moreover, his elo- 
quence enlisted in the Second Crusade the two foremost 
sovereigns of the age, — Conrad III., Emperor of Germany, 
and Louis VII, of France. 

129. The armies, numbering 300,000 choice troops, 
moved in a. d. 1147, and, following the path 

of the earlier Crusaders, advanced to Constan- ^^^^ 

tinople. The Emperor Conrad, preceding his ally, passed 
the Bosphorus, and marched into Asia Minor. But the 
Emperor of the East, Man'uel, being an enemy of Conrad's, 
gave the sultan secret intelligence of the German line of 
march, and furnished Conrad with treacherous guides. The 
result was, that, after sustaining a glorious but unsuccessful 
combat on the banks of the Mean'der, the German army 
had to retreat- to Nice. Nine tenths of the whole German 
host are said to have been destroyed by the shafts and scimi- 
tars of the Infidels, or to have perished of hunger and thirst. 

130. The French, under Louis VII., had meanwhile 
moved to Nic^ and thence, being joined by Advance to 
the remnant of troops under Conrad, the two Jerusalem. 



262 MEDIEVAL HISTORY. 

bodies advanced together through Asia Minor. They 
suffered a severe check at Laodice'a; but still struggled 
on, storm-beaten and famine-worn, to Antioch, and finally 
reached Jerusalem, with a mere fraction of the chivalric 
army that had left Europe. 

131. The first and only undertaking was the siege of 
Damascus. This was a miserable failure ; and 
the Second Crusade closed in gloom, with the 
return of the Crusaders to their own country. 



4. THE THIRD CRUSADE (A. D. 1189-1192V 

132. Forty years elapsed before the Third Crusade began. 

In the interval an important revolution had 
taken place in Mussulman politics. Sallah-a- 
deen, or Saladin, as he is generally called, a young Curdish 
chieftain, had united the Mussulman states, from the Nile to 
the Tigris, under his single empire. Meanwhile the Latin 
kingdom, through internal disorders, was fast falling into 
a state of weakness. Taking advantage of this fact, Saladin 
invaded Palestine, took town after town, and lastly Jerusalem, 
after a siege of fourteen days, a. d. 1187. The only place 
that remained to the Christians in Palestine was Tyre. 

133. The news of the extinction of the kingdom of 
Events of Jerusalem called forth the Third Crusade. The 
Third Crusade, fhrec great Wcstcm princcs took the cross, — 
Richard I. of England, known as Richard Coeur de Lion 
(Lion-hearted) ; Philip Augustus of France ; and Frederick 
Barbaros'sa (Red-beard), Emperor of Germany. A tax, 
called Saladin's tithe, was laid upon Christendom, to meet 
the expenses of the war. 

134. While the French and the English monarchs trans- 
Frederick's ported their armies to Palestine by sea, the 
column. high-souled Frederick marched overland with 
60,000 cavalry and 100,000 infantry. Fine preparations had 



THE THIRD CRUSADE. 263 

been made, so that the march through Europe and across the 
Hellespont into Asia Minor was a complete success. Unfor- 
tunately, the emperor met his death while bathing in a little 
stream in Cili'cia. The expedition having thus lost its head, 
everything fell into disorder, and before the Crusaders 
reached the borders of Syria, their numbers had been re- 
duced to one tenth the original force. The remnant joined 
the French and English forces before A'cre. (Map, p. 252.) 

135. The Christians in Syria had in the mean time rallied, 
and were laying siege to Acre. Now that the 

chivalry of Europe came to their aid, the siege '^^^ ° 
could be prosecuted with much vigor. In vain Saladin at- 
tempted to relieve Acre. Numerous battles were fought in 
the plains around, between the Crusaders and the Moslem 
myriads ; and after a siege of twenty-three months. Acre 
surrendered to the Christians, a. d. 1191. 

136. The capture of Acre was hailed by the Christians 
as a glad omen of the recovery of the Holy 
Sepulcher. But these bright hopes were dashed 

by the retirement of the king of France from the Crusade. 
The cause of this secession is believed to have been disgust 
on the part of Philip Augustus at the reckless character and 
intolerable arrogance of the Lion-hearted, united, perhaps, 
with some jealousy of the superior glory won by Richard. 

137. Richard remained, and continued the struggle for 
some time with various success : but at last he ^, . 

1 . , r^ 1 T , t Closing events. 

agreed to a truce with baladin, the terms or 
which were, on the whole, favorable to the Christians, and 
creditable to the liberality and tolerance of the Moham- 
medans.* 

* Richard took his departure from the East in October, a. d. 1192 ; but 
being detained on the wa)' as a prisoner of the Austrian archduke at 
Vienna, he did not reach England for nearly two years afterwards. In 
the mean time Saladin, between whom and Richard there had been estab- 
lished a mutual admiration and regard, died in a. d. 1193. This event 
gave a new turn to the history of the Holy Land. 



264 MEDIEVAL HISTORY. 

5. THE LATER CRUSADES. 

138. The three expeditions that have just been described 
Character of form what we may regard as the Greater Cru- 
later Crusades, gades. Several subsequent Crusades — three 
or four — were undertaken ; but some of these were not di- 
rected towards the Holy Land at all, and the others failed 
of any great results. 

DETAILS OF THE LATER CRUSADES. 

Fourth Crusade. The chiefs of this Crusade were animated more by 
ambition and a spirit of military adventure than by religious zeal. 
They purchased the aid of a Venetian fleet by reducing, under the 
control of Venice, Zara, a Christian city in Dalma'tia (a. d. 1202), 
and finally, instead of sailing to Palestine, they directed their course 
to Constantinople, where they overthrew the Greek Empire (a. d. 
1204), and established on its ruins a Latin kingdom that lasted till 
A. D. 1260. 

Fifth Crusade. Egypt was the scene of the Fifth Crusade (a. d. 
1216-1220). Success attended the first operations of the Christian 
army ; but finally matters were managed so badly that the army was 
forced to surrender to the Egyptian sultan. There was what may be 
regarded as a continuation of this Crusade in A. D. 1228 by Frederick II., 
Emperor of Germany. He entered Jerusalem in triumph, and com- 
pelled the Sultan of Egypt to cede that city and several others to the 
Christians. But a few years afterwards all that had been gained was 
swept away. 

Sixth Crusade. This expedition, undertaken, in a. d. 1238, by the 
French under the King of Navarre and by the English chivalry under 
Richard, Earl of Cornwall, was terminated by negotiation, favorable 
terms being obtained for the Christians. But peace lasted for only 
two years, the Latin kingdom being overwhelmed by an invasion of 
the Turks of Khorasm, who acquired possession of most of Palestine. 

Seventh Crusade. This new disaster excited the zeal of the pious 
Louis IX. of France (known as Saint Louis), who headed the Seventh 
Crusade, A. d. 1249. It turned out to be utterly fruitless. The king 
was captured, and had to pay a large ransom for the redemption of 
himself and his force. 

Eighth Crusade. Twenty-one years afterwards (a. d. 1270) Saint 
Louis undertook what proved to be the Eighth and last Crusade. It 



RESULTS OF THE CRUSADES. 265 

was totally without result. On his way the French king turned aside 
to besiege Tunis. A pestilential disease broke out in the army, and 
Louis himself died. Prince Edward of England, who joined with 
Louis in the Crusade, meanwhile advanced to Palestine ; but after a 
few unimportant operations he was compelled to return home. Soon 
after this, Acre, the last stronghold of the Christians, was captured, 
and the Holy Land fell completely into the power of the Mohamme- 
dans. 



6. RESULTS OF THE CRUSADES. 

139. The Crusades utterly failed in their immediate ob- 
ject, — the recovery of the Holy Land from 

^ Sumniary. 

the Mohammedans. Still, the effects of these 
remarkable expeditions were very important in many ways. 

140. We may note that the Western nations, having to 
act in concert, came to know one another 

, . ' , . 1 . First effect. 

better, to mterchange chivalrous sentiments, 

to feel mutual sympathies, and to entertain more liberal 

ideas. 

141. Next, it is to be observed that the Crusaders 
brought from the East the knowledge of many Effect on com- 
products and processes tending to promote the '"s''"- 

arts and manufactures ; and it was during these expeditions 
that modern commerce was first developed. The Italian 
maritim.e states supplied the Crusaders with transports, and 
conveyed to them stores and munitions of war. This traffic 
led to a rapid increase in the commerce and navigation of 
the Mediterranean ; a taste for spices and other articles of 
Oriental luxury was gradually diffused throughout Europe ; 
and trading depots were formed by Venice, Genoa, and 
other Italian states, on the shores of the Levant and the 
coasts of the Greek Empire. 

142. Another effect was to diminish the strength of the 
feudal aristocracy, by occasioning the breaking Effect on feu- 
up and sale of many feudal properties. dahsm. 

143. Chivalry, though older than the Crusades, derived 



266 MEDIEVAL HISTORY. 



its chief influence and strength from these wars. The use 
Effect on chiv- of Surnames, coats of arms, and distinctive 
^^'■y- banners became necessary in armies composed 

of men collected at hazard from every Christian kingdom. 

144. The Crusades sprang out of a spirit of fanaticism ; 
Intellectual but their rcsult, in the long run, was to quench 
^^"*- this very spirit. Instead of the mere feeling 

of blind abhorrence with which Mohammedans had been at 
first regarded, many of them had inspired the Christian 
knights with esteem and admiration. Contact with men 
of other nationalities had its effect in liberalizing the Euro- 
pean hosts ; men returned home with larger ideas and a 
wider horizon of thought, and we may say that from the 
time of the Crusades a great intellectual revival began 
throughout all Europe. 



CHIVALRY, — ITS RISE AND DECAY. 267 

CHAPTER VII. 
CHIVALRY,— ITS RISE AND DECAY. 

145. Chivalry sprang out of feudalism, and was its 
brightest flower ; it grew into a great insti- General 
tution that for several centuries exercised a sketch, 
wonderful influence on the manners, habits, thoughts, and 
sentiments of men in all the nations of Western Europe ; 
it was brought to maturity and splendor by the Crusades ; 
it was pushed to fantastic extremes, and it ceased to exist 
when feudal society passed away. 

146. Chivalry had its origin in two peculiarities in the 
customs and instincts of the Gothic races, — 

the great honor paid to the profession of arms, 
and the high regard and delicate gallantry of the Teutons 
towards the female sex. When feudalism had become a 
regular system, — say in the nth century, — it was the 
custom for the sons of the various vassals of a lord to form 
a little court, or school, in his castle, where they were edu- 
cated under his eye and along with the members of his 
family in military exercises and feudal etiquette. 

147. From the age of seven to fourteen the name given 
to these boys was page., or varlet., — in old 

English ballads, child. The page attended the 
ladies of the mansion, following them in their walks, or ac- 
companying them when they rode gut hawking or hunting. 
He was thus taught obedience and courtesy, and in addition 
he was instructed in music, chess, the doctrines of religion, 
and the use of light weapons. Being constantly surrounded 
by noble ladies and valiant knights, his earliest impressions 
were those of gallantry, honor, love, and bravery. Usually 
each youth selected some accomplished young lady at 



268 MEDIEVAL HISTORY. 

whose feet he displayed all his gallantry, and who under- 
took to polish his manners. " The love of God and the 
ladies," says Hallam, "was enjoined as a single duty. 
He who was faithful and true to his mistress was held sure 
of salvation, in the theology of the castle." 

148. At the age of fourteen the page became a squire ; 

and just as the page was the attendant of the 
quires. ladics, SO the squire served the men. The 

squire was employed in various subordinate offices about 
the castle ; but his great duty was to follow his lord to the 
battle or the tournament, leading the war-horse. When the 
hour of battle came, he arrayed his master in full armor ; 
he kept behind him in the fight, handed a fresh lance, led 
in a horse if his lord was dismounted, and dashed to the 
rescue if he saw him hard pressed. Such were a squire's 
duties till he reached the age of twenty-one, when he attained 
the goal of his ambition, — he became a knight {miles), 

149. The admission to knighthood was attended by an 
Ceremonial of imposing cercmonial. Having fasted and 
knighthood. confessed all his sins, the candidate passed a 
night in prayer and watching. Then, having bathed, he 
was dressed in new robes, — an underkirtle, a silk or 
linen vest embroidered with gold, a collar of leather, and 
over all the coat of arms. Proceeding to the church, he 
had to pass an examination, and if he was judged worthy 
of admission to the order of knighthood, he received the 
sacrament and took the vows, — the vow that he would be 
a good, brave, loyal, just, generous, and gentle knight, that 
he would be a champion of the Church and clergy, that he 
would be a protector of ladies, that he would be a redresser 
of the wrongs of widows and orphans, etc. Then the bal- 
dric — a belt of white leather and gold — was slung round 
the candidate ; his golden spurs were buckled on, and the 
prince who was to confer the dignity, taking the aspirant's 
sword, completed the ceremony with a blow of its flat side 
on the neck. 



CHIVALRY, — ITS RISE AND DECAY. 269 

150. The dress and equipment of the knight varied 
much at different periods. At the time of the Dress and 
first Crusade, the knights wore chain armor, armor, 
formed of interhnked hooks of steel ; a hauberk, or tunic of 
steel rings, hung to the knees ; the head was protected by 
a hood of chain-mail over which was worn a low flat cap of 
steel ; mittens covered the hands, and pointed shoes of 
mail the feet. The horses were at first unprotected ; but 
afterwards it became customary to sheathe them in com- 
plete armor. During the 14th century the chain-mail of the 
early knights was exchanged for armor formed of over- 
lapping metal plates; and in the heyday of chivalry the 
knight must have been truly a splendid and romantic figure, 
mounted on his richly caparisoned steed, glittering in his 
costly armor of steel, with plume and crest and vizored 
helmet, with lance and mace and battle-ax. 

151. The characteristic amusement of the age of chiv- 
alry was the touriiainent. celebrated on occa- 

. ^ . ,...,,. . Tourneys. 

sions of coronations, distmguished victories, 
roya) marriages, etc. The tourneys took place within what 
were called the lists, — a space roped or railed off in an 
oval form. The open spaces at each end were filled with 
stalls and galleries for the ladies and noble spectators. 
The tilting was generally with lances, on the points of 
which were fixed pieces of wood called " rockets " ; and 
the great object with each knight was to unhorse his an- 
tagonist. When the heralds cried, " Laissez alter " (Let 
them go), off they dashed from opposite ends of the lists 
and met in the center. When one of the knights had un- 
horsed his opponent he came forward, amid the blare of 
martial music, and the shouts of " Honor to the sons of the 
brave ! " from the lips of the minstrels, to receive the prize 
from his queen or his mistress. From the descriptions of 
these scenes that we read in the pages of Sir Walter Scott, 
or of the old chronicler Frois'sart, it is evident that the 



2/0 MEDIEVAL HISTORY. 

tourney must have surpassed every scenic performance of 
modern times. 

152. The question as to the influence of chivalry is one 
Good side of respecting which there have been conflicting 
chivalry. opinions. In many respects this influence 

must have been good and ennobHng, for the ideal of chivalry 
was lofty and pure and generous. Valor, loyalty, courtesy, 
munificence, and a hatred of injustice formed collectively 
the character of an accomplished knight. If these virtues 
were active among men, they could not help bearing beau- 
tiful fruits. And there is no doubt they were active, and 
that some of the noblest characters of the Middle Ages 
were nursed by the ideas of chivalry. Those ideas soft- 
ened warfare in a barbarous age, by inculcating humanity 
and courtesy to enemies ; at a time when the obligations of 
honor were feebly felt, they taught a scrupulous adherence 
to one's word and to all engagements ; and they helped ele- 
vate woman to her proper place as the equal and companion 
of man, by making her the object of chivalrous attention. 

153- S^^^l' "O institution can radically change human 
^ ., .^ nature ; and it is not to be doubted that there 

Evil side. ' , . 1 1 

were those who were not true knights, that 
gallantry often degenerated into licentiousness, that a per- 
nicious thirst for military renown was nourished by chiv- 
alry, and that the wholesome sense of honor finally degen- 
erated into mere punctilio and fantastic notions, the result 
of which long lingered in the practice of the duello. 

154. The institution of chivalry declined with feudalism, 
Gunpowder, of which it was largely a product. The com- 
effect of. plete change in the mode of warfare effected 

by the invention of gunpowder, put the knight at great dis- 
advantage. Armor of proof might be forged that would 
withstand the Swiss broadsword or the ell-long arrows of 
the English bowmen, but what coat of mail could resist the 
cannon-ball ? Battles were now to be fought chiefly at a 
distance, no longer hand to hand. 



CHIVALRY, — ITS RISE AND DECAY. 



271 



155. Bayard, who fell in France in a. d. 1524, and was 
known as the chevalier " sans peiir et sans L^gt of the 
reproche'' (fearless and blameless), was almost ^"'g^^ts. 

the last of the knights of that knightly land. In England, 
chivalry lasted till the time of Elizabeth, and we cannot 
help thinking of Sir Philip Sidney as a bright example of 
the noble knight. In Spain it went out at the same period, 
amid the inextinguishable laughter excited by Cervan'tes's 
burlesque of chivalry in the immortal romance of Don 
Quixote. 

156. Still, it is certain that, while the institution perished, 
the s/yirit of chivalry, its finest essence, lived. Permanent 

T- 1 1-1 r \ T»T'iii * , effect of 

From the knight of the Middle Ages grew the chivalry, 
gentleman of modern days, the elements of each remaining 
the same. This is a character new in history. Antiquity 
produced heroes^ but not ge?itlemen ; so it may be said we 
owe the noblest human type the world has ever seen, — 
that type of man in which are richly blended a sense of 
personal honor, generosity, courtesy, and Christian tender- 
ness and helpfulness, — to the same influences which shaped 
chivalry in the period of the Middle Ages. 




1!?ts bonfs arc tiiist, 
lull's gootJ stoorti rnst ; 
li^is soul is bjitlj tljc saint: 



toe trust. 



2/2 MEDIy^VAL HISTORY. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

CIVILIZATION IN THE MIDDLE AGES. 
I. THE DARK AGES. 

157. Of the long period of a thousand years comprised 

in the Hmits of the Middle Ages, — from the 
^^^* close of the 5th to the close of the 15th cen- 
tury, — the first six centuries, from the close of the 5th to 
the close of the nth century, are nearly barren of interest, 
and the term " Dark Ages " is appropriately used to desig- 
nate these centuries. 

158. It is a strange and melancholy spectacle to see 
Cause of the civilization, after attaining so considerable a 
relapse. height in the Roman Empire, fall back into 
barbarism. This relapse has sometimes been laid to the 
door of the barbarous races that overthrew the Empire ; but 
it was not due wholly to this influence. For two or three 
centuries before the structure of Roman civilization finally 
fell, the foundations were undergoing gradual but irre- 
trievable decay ; and the edifice would have come to the 
ground of itself, even had no barbarian hand assailed it. 
In the latter ages of the Roman Empire we find a general 
indifference towards the cultivation of letters. As a natu- 
ral result, original and powerful works ceased to be pro- 
duced. The final settlement of the uncultured Teutonic 
nations in Gaul, Spain, and Italy completed the ruin of 
literature. They despised learning themselves ; and the 
native Roman and Latinized inhabitants of those countries 
soon sank to the level of the barbarians. 

159. A main cause of this loss of culture was a change 
Cause of loss that was at this time going on in the languages 
of culture. spokcn by the people of Western Europe. In 



THE DARK AGES. 



273 



the two or three centuries succeeding the Teutonic con- 
quests there was a gradual breaking up of the structure 
of the Latin speech as spoken in Italy, Spain, a'Ad Gaul. 
The Teutonic conquerors, in order to communicate with the 
people in these countries, had to learn Latin, but in learn- 
ing it they still furtlier corrupted it. Thus the common 
language of those lands was a sort of broken Latin, which 
was called Romaji^ while classical Latin was still written by 
scholars. The process of change went further, however : 
differences of dialect arose in the several countries, and 
Roman developed into Italian, French, and Spanish. 

160. When Latin had ceased to be a living language, 
the whole treasuiy of knowledge was locked Result of 

up from the people. Those who might have change, 
imbibed a taste for culture if books had been open to them 
were left destitute. Ali books were in Latin, which they 
did not understand, while in the language they did under- 
stand there were no books. To be sure, a knowledge of 
Latin did not wholly die out. It was still taught in schools ; 
but these schools were confined to cathedrals and monas- 
teries, and designed solely for religious education, so that 
the people in general had no opportunity for learning. 

161. The worst effect was, that, as the newly formed 
languages were hardly made use of in writing:, 

T ^. , . .„ \. rr • y . I Use of letters. 

— Latin being still the offfcial language of 
public documents, legal papers, etc., — the very use of letters, 
as well as of books, was nearly forgotten. It was rare for a 
layman, of whatever rank, to know how to sign his name. 
The charters were inscribed with the mark of the cross. 
In this state of things, whatever learning existed was in 
the keeping of the clergy ; but, according to the records of 
the Church and of the councils, this was far from extensive. 

162. A chief cause of this general ignorance was the 
scarcity of books. The art of making paper scarcity of 
from cotton rags was not introduced till about ^ooks. 

12* R 



274 MEDIEVAL HISTORY. 

the close of the nth century. Previous to this the two kinds 
of writing material were papyrus and parchment. But after 
the conquest of Alexandria by the Saracens in the 7th cen- 
tury, papyrus almost ceased to be imported into Europe ; 
while parchment was too costly to be readily spared for 
book purposes.* 

163. During the five centuries of the Dark Ages, we find 

but few names of really eminent men. Bede, 

Eminent men. , ^ ,. , , •' ■, ,, ^^ , , 

the Englishman, known as the "Venerable 
Bede " (born about a. d. 673), and Alcuin, another English- 
man, already mentioned as the teacher and friend of Charle- 
magne, were men rather of learning than of genius. John, 
surnamed Sco'tus or Erige'na, a native of Ireland, belonging 
to the 9th century, and Pope Sylvester, who lived in the 
loth century, were the two really original thinkers during 
this long period. The former was a bold and acute reasoner, 
the latter an excellent mathematician. 

164. These centuries have been called the Ages of Faith ; 

but they were quite as much asres of supersti- 

Superstition. . / . .,i . r ^ ^^ ^ r • 

tion. A curious illustration of the wild fancies 
that took possession of men's minds in these times of igno- 
rance was a general belief, which arose in the loth century, 
that the world would come to an end in the year 1000 a. d. 
Many charters begin with these words, " As the world is 
now drawing to its close." Another superstition was the 
notion that the guilt or innocence of a person could be de- 
termined by what was called the ordeal. These ordeals, or 
trials, consisted of handling hot iron, walking over red-hot 
plowshares, plunging the arm into boiling fluids, etc. If 
the person was innocent, no harm, it was said, came to him. 

* From this dearness of parchment a curious practice arose : the 
monks in the monasteries would erase a manuscript, and write another 
on the same skin. Such writings are known as paVimpsests (twice writ- 
ten). This practice occasioned the loss of many ancient authors, as the 
legend of a saint would often take the place of a work of the classic age. 



THE DARK AGES. 2/5 



Even a man as enlightened as Charlemagne was a warm 
advocate of the ordeal. 

165. It is not wonderful that in this state of affairs the 
human intellect became enfeebled, that morals Picture of the 
were corrupted, and that society in general ^s^- 

sank to a low level. Agriculture was in a miserably back- 
ward condition. There is not a vestige to be discovered 
for several centuries of any considerable manufacture. 
Everything had to be made on the place, and even kings, in 
the 9th century, had their clothes made by the women upon 
their farms. To traffic there were great obstacles ; for in 
the lawless state of society a merchant ran constant risk of 
being robbed, while in the domains of every feudal lord a 
toll was to be paid in passing his bridge, or along his high- 
way, or at his market. In Germany especially unscrupulous 
robbery was practiced by the great, who, from their gloomy 
and inaccessible castles, issued forth to harry the land and 
spread terror over the country. 

166. If it be asked how it happened that a few sparks of 
ancient learning survived throughout this long influence of 
winter, we can ascribe their preservation only to *^^ church. 
Christianity. The Church was the bridge across the chaos, 
and linked the two periods of ancient and modern civiliza- 
tion. We cannot fairly rate the knowledge of the clergy high 
during the Dark Ages ; but, such as it was, clerical culture 
alone kept Europe from lapsing into intellectual barbarism. 

167. In the good work of the Church the most active 
accents were the monks. Monachism, or the 

° . . . - The monks. 

practice of retu-mg to a solitary and contempla- 
tive life, took its rise in the East. At first monks were gen- 
erally laymen, but in time they all belonged to the priestly 
order, and came under certain vows. 

168. The monastic system was introduced into Western 
Europe early in the history of the Christian The Benedic- 
Church ; but it received its perfect form in the **"^^- 



2/6 



medij^val history. 



6th century, at the hands of St. Ben'edict, an Italian, who 
estabb'shed the first monastery on Mount Cassi'no, in Lower 

Italy. He was thus the 
founder of the widely 
spread order of Bene- 
dictines, which rap- 
idly extended itself 
among all nations, 
and built many mon- 
asteries. The rule of 
this order included 
the novel feature of 
industrial occupation. 
Agriculture was espe- 
cially recommended ; 
and in the Middle 
Ages the Benedictine 
monks were the best 
husbandmen in Eu- 
rope. The monas- 
teries — erected for the most part in beautiful and remote 
situations, and the inhabitants of which were obliged to take 
the three vows of celibac}^, personal povert\% and obedience 
— proved, in those days of lawlessness and barbarism, a 
blessing to mankind. They converted heaths and forests into 
flourishing farms ; they afforded a place of refuge (asylum) 
to the persecuted and oppressed ; they ennobled the rude 
minds of men by the preaching of the gospel ; they pre- 
served the remains of ancient literature from utter destruc- 
tion, and were the nurseries of education and of learning. 




Monastery Gate. 



2. THE AGE OF REVIVAL. — CITIES AND COMMERCE. 

169. From the state of degradation and poverty de- 
scribed in the last section all the European nations grad- 



THE AGE OF REVIVAL. 2'JJ 

ually recovered, — some slowly, others more rapidly. The 
commencement of this restoration may be General state- 
dated from about the close of the nth cen- "^^"*- 
tury. We cannot apply the term " Dark Ages " to the 
period between the nth and the 15th centuries, — for at 
this time we see the shadows grow fainter as we advance, 
till finally the twilight reddens into our modern dawn. 

170. One of the first signs of advancing civilization, and 
also one of the great agencies of further pro- Growth of 
gress, was the growing up of Towns to a posi- ^°wns. 

tion of prime importance. Cities are always the centers of 
civilization. In the old Greek and Roman times the towns 
had, so to speak, been everything. But the Goths, Franks, 
and other Teutonic invaders were not used to cities, and 
even those that had arisen in Central Europe, under Roman 
influence, declined very much after the German settlement, 
and lost much of their importance and local freedom. 
However, as civilization began to revive, new towns arose, 
especially in Germany and Italy, and the old towns won 
back something of their former greatness.* 

171. The real importance of these German towns is to 
be dated from their famous union in what is „ 

Hanse cities. 

called the Hanseatic League. This was a con- 

* In Germany, till the reign of Charlemagne, at the close of the 8th cen- 
tury, there were no towns except a few that had been erected on the 
Rhine and Danube by the Romans. During the next three hundred 
years, however, we find many cities arising. At the commencement of 
the I2th century, Henry V. conceded certain privileges to the free cities, 
and especially to their artisans, and these gave a soul to industry. The 
first town erected on the coasts of the Baltic was Lubeck (a.d. 1 140). In 
the 13th century it became independent of any sovereign but the Ger- 
man Emperor. Ham'burg was originally a castle (Ham'maburg) built 
by Charlemagne for defense against the Norsemen. It purchased inde- 
pendence of its bishop in 1225. Bremen dates from about this period. 
A colony from Bremen founded Riga in the 12th century ; Dant'zic arose 
in the following century. 
19 



278 MEDIAEVAL HISTORY. 

federation, made about the middle of the 13th century, of 
eighty of the most considerable German cities. The union 
was suggested by the need of mutual defense against piracy 
by sea, pillage by land, and the exactions of the nobles. It 
was of the greatest importance both to commerce and to 
freedom. 

172. In Italy, the cities rose to greatness even earlier 
Italian free than in Germany. This was particularly the 
^^'^^^^- case in Northern Italy, that is, Lombardy. 

There from the 1 1 th century the towns became every- 
thing. Though nominally under the dominion of the Ger- 
man emperors, they gradually grew strong, while the power 
of the emperors declined. What is called the Lombard 
League was formed in 1167 ; and the peace of Constance, 
in 1 183, secured the independence of the cities. The 
great city-republics of Venice, Gen'oa, etc., date from this 
period. 

173* With the growth of the towns, industries of various 
Wool manu- kinds began to spring up, and trade and com- 
facture. mcrcc to Spread and flourish. One of the 

earliest industries was the woolen manufacture of Flanders. 
This had grown to great importance in the 12th century, 
and the " Flemish stuffs " were sold wherever the sea or a 
navigable river permitted them to be carried. Ghent and 
Bru'ges were the chief seats of this industry, and the weav- 
ers of these cities were distinguished for their democratic 
spirit. 

174. In England, commerce, for two centuries after the 
English com- Norman conquest, — middle of the nth to the 
merce. middle of the 13th century, — was almost con- 

fined to the export of wool, then the great staple of that 
country. But in the next century Edward III., the father 
of English commerce, introduced the finer manufacture of 
woolen cloths, by bringing large numbers of artisans from 
Flanders. From about the middle of the 14th century 



J I 



THE AGE OF REVIVAL. 279 



we find continual evidence of a rapid increase in wealth, 
and at this period, for the first time in English history, 
the occupation of a merchant began to be recognized as 
honorable. 

175. The commerce of the South of Europe was through 
the city-republics of Venice, Amal'fi, Pi'sa, and Italian com- 
Genoa. It was chiefly with the Saracenic "^^'^<^^- 
countries before the first Crusade ; but the Crusades them- 
selves led immediately to the growing prosperity of the com- 
mercial cities of Southern Europe, and opened an extensive 
trade with the Levant'. In Southern France, Marseilles', 
Nismes, and Montpel'ier, and in Spain, Barcelo'na, had a 
flourishing commerce. 

176. The earliest impulse to manufacturing industry in 
Italy was given by the introduction of a silk siik manufac- 
manufacture at Paler'mo by Roger Guiscard, in ^"''^• 

1 148. Silk became very soon a staple manufacture of the 
Lombard and Tuscan republics, and the cultivation of mul- 
berries was enforced by their laws. The same industry 
soon spread into Southern France and Catalo'nia (in Spain), 
where it flourished greatly. 

177. The needs of an enlarging commerce eventually led 
to the organization of moneyed institutions. The jews and 
By most people in the Middle Ages lending i"oney. 
money for profit was treated as a crime. The trade, in 
fact, was at first entirely in the hands of the Jews, who were 
long the objects of cruel persecution, being maltreated and 
swindled to an almost incredible extent. 

178. In the 13th century the trade in money was taken 
up by the merchants of Lombardy and of the The Lombard 
South of France, who began the business of bankers, 
remitting money on bills of exchange, and of making profits 
on loans. In spite of much prejudice the Lombard " usu- 
rers," as they were called, established themselves in all the 
chief commercial centers of Europe, and, as the practical 



28o MEDIyEVAL HISTORY. 

utility of their business was found very great, good sense 
finally overcame ancient prejudices.* 

179. The growing wealth of Europe led to a consider- 

able diffusion of comforts amons: the people. 

Comforts. ^, • • 1 i 1 • ^ ^ 

This IS proved by the enactment, m the 14th 
century, of what are called " sumptuary laws," — that is, 
laws designed to restrict men in regard to what they shall 
eat, wear, etc. 

180. It may also be noticed that at this same period the 

houses people lived in besran to be of a better 

Houses. 1 1 r 1 

sort, though for several centuries after this 
they were what we should regard as very indifferent habi- 
tations. Still, it is something that at this time chimneys 
and window-glass were introduced. Chimneys were wholly 
unknown to the ancients, who had to let the smoke escape 
through an opening in the roof. They came into use in 
the 14th centur}^, as did also window-glass. The internal 
accommodations were, however, yet very imperfect. Even 
in gentlemen's houses, the second story (where there was 
one) was approached from the outside, the walls were 
bare, without wainscot or plaster, and it is hardly necessary 
to say that neither pictures nor libraries were to be found 
in them. 



3. LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND ART. 

181. The low condition to which the European mind 
had sunk in the Dark Ages, as regards every- 
thing relating to literature and science, has 
been spoken of in a previous chapter. One of the earliest 
signs of the reviving spirit was the establishment of uni- 
versities. 

* The earliest bank of deposit is said to have been that of Barcelona, 
founded 1401. The bank of Genoa was established in 1407, and soon 
grew to be a great power. 



LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND ART. 28 1 



The University of Paris first became famous, at the beginning of the 
I2th century, under the teachings of Ab'elard, a man of bold and brilliant 
genius. The University of Oxford in England is said to have been 
founded by King Alfred (9th century), but it was not really a flourishing 
scat of learning till the nth century. In the year a. D. 1201 it contained 
3,000 scholars. In the 12th century we find the University of Bologn'a 
with a roll of 10,000 students, while the University of Paris, in the 15th 
century, numbered 25,000 students. Cambridge was founded in the 
13th century. The earliest German university was that of Prague, 
founded in 1350. Other famous mediaeval schools of learning were 
Pad'ua, Toulouse, Montpelier, and Salaman'ca. 

182. The chief attraction that drew the crowds of students 
to the universities, after a long season of utter scholastic 
indifference to learning, was the rise of the new P^^^iosophy. 
"scholastic philosophy" in the nth and 12th centuries. 
The chief feature of this was the application of the art of 
dialectics to subtle questions of metaphysics and theology. 

183. The great masters of this art are known collectively 
as the Schoolmen ; and it attained its highest x^e school- 
perfection, in the 13th century, in the persons '"^"• 

of Thomas Aqui'nas and Duns Scotus. . Other famous 
schoolmen were Roscelin, Anselm, and Peter Lombard. 

184. Many of the questions which the schoolmen dis- 
cussed with great interest now seem very frivo- Nature and 

1 £ • J. ^^ . effect of the 

ious, — as, tor instance, the question as to philosophy. 
" how many angels can stand on the point of a needle," and 
whether " an angel in passing from one point to another 
passes through intermediate space." But, in spite of some 
frivolities of this kind, there is no doubt that the scholastic 
philosophy developed acute intellects, and prepared the way 
for the fruitful inquiries of the i6th and 17th centuries. 

185. While the schoolmen were devoting themselves to 
subtle points of theolos^y and metaphvsics, a 

r . 1 , . .■' . . ^ \ Scientists. 

rew mmds were beginning to investigate math- 
ematical and scientific questions. Among the greatest of 
these may be mentioned Roger Bacon, an English monk. 



282 



MEDIEVAL HISTORY. 



and Albertus Magnus, both of whom Uved in the 13th cen- 
tury. For the times in which they Uved these men made 
wonderful advances in true knowledge ; and each had to pay 
the penalty of being in advance of his age, for both Bacon 
and Albertus were punished as magicians. 

186. One of the most interesting chapters in the intel- 
Saracenic Icctual history of Europe during the Middle 

learning. Agcs is that of the Arabian contribudons to 

science. The Saracens instituted universities, observatories, 
public libraries, and museums ; they collected together all 
the remains of Greek and Alexandrine learning, and through 
their medium the greater number of Greek and Latin authors 
which were read during the Middle Ages were known to 
Europe. It may also be noted that a noble order of archi- 
tecture, of which the Alhambra presents us a fine specimen, 
was created by them. 




Court of Lions, Alhambra. 



LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND ART. 283 

187. In the loth century we hear of Spain, under the 
Saracens, as a center of learnins^ ; and it is Saracenic 

' , , r 1 • • r schools in 

there that we must look for the origin of sev- Spain, 
eral sciences that have commonly been attributed to other 
nations. It is from them that we received our mode of 
notation, called the Arabic figures ; and the terms " algebra," 
" alcohol," " alchemy," " zenith," " nadir," etc., all of which 
are Arabic, attest the influence of that remarkable people on 
the science of the Middle Ages. It is well known that to 
the researches of the Saracenic alchemists we owe the 
beginnings of chemistry, — a science which the Arabians 
cultivated with success ; and the first work on the subject 
with which we are acquainted was written by Yeber-Abou- 
Moussah-Djafer-al-Sofi, whom we call Geber, an Arab of 
the 8th century. 

188. It must be remembered that all the writings of the 
churchmen were in Latin. But literature, to Growth of na- 
become a real national power, must come from ^'"'^ literature, 
the people. Hence it is of importance to know when a 
nafii'e literature began to spring up in the various European 
nations. We may say, in a general wa}^, that there began 
to be works written in the new Rotnance tongues, — the 
Italian, French, Spanish, — and also in the German, about 
the time of the Crusades and immediately thereafter. It 
was at this time that the Troubadours and Minnesingers 
arose to celebrate the deeds of knights, battles, adventures, 
and love. The German collection known as the Nibelungen 
Lied^ the Spanish romance of the Cid, and the cycle of poetry 
relatinor to the British Arthur and his Knidits of the Round 
Table, are among the most famous collections of the heroic 
poetry of the Middle Ages. 

189. These earlier preludings were in the 13th and 14th 
centuries followed by some true outbursts of Dante and 
the highest form of poetry, — the real begin- Chaucer, 
nings of our modern literature. In the 13th century we 



284 MEDIEVAL HISTORY. 

have in Italy, Dante (born a. d. 1265), whose Divi?ia Corn- 
media is one of the great world-books ; and in the 14th cen- 
tury our own English Chaucer (born a. d. 1328), who is still 
accounted one of England's five greatest poets. 

190. The characteristic art of the Middle Ages was 

architecture, — especially the buildine of 

Architecture. , . , ^, A, , . , i , • , , • , 

cathedrals. 1 he Gothic cathedral is the high- 
est expression of the blended faith and genius of that age. 
The nth century was a time of great splendor in building 
churches. They were, however, still built in the round- 
arched^ or what is called Romanesque^ style, 

191. The use of the pointed arch and what is called the 
Gothic cathe- Gothic Style did not come in till near the end 
**'"^^^- of the 1 2th century. Originating in Northern 
France, the Gothic style of sacred architecture soon spread 
over all Europe, and during the 13th and 14th centuries it 
attained its highest perfection. Many of the grandest edi- 
fices occupied from one to two centuries in building. With 
their heaven-piercing spires, their noble arches, their elabo- 
rate sculptures and traceries, and their great mullioned win- 
dows, on whose " storied panes " the whole history of the 
Bible is written in the hues of the rainbow by the earnest 
hand of faith, they remain to this day the most sublime 
structures ever reared by the hand of man. 

192. We have said that architecture was the character- 
Painting and istic art of the Middle Ages. Painting, though 
music. j|- began in that period, did not reach full 
development till the i6th and 17th centuries, while music 
belongs to a date still closer to our own times. 



THE GERMAN EMPIRE. 285 



CHAPTER IX. 
POLITICAL OUTLINE. 

FROM CHARLEMAGNE TO THE CLOSE OF THE MIDDLE AGES. 
I. THE GERMAN EMPIRE. 

193. When Charlemagne died (a. d. 814), he was suc- 
ceeded by his son Louis, who divided the Division of 

■' 1-1 Charlemagne s 

Prankish dominion between his three sons. Empire. 
They quarreled violently, but the Treaty of Verdun (a. d. 
843) confirmed the partition. Thus out of Charlemagne's 
Empire grew three states, — Germany, France, and Italy. 
But neither of these countries remained long under the 
rule of the descendants of Charlemagne. 

194. The Carlovingians ruled in Germany for less than 
a century after Charlemao^ne's death. Durin": Germany 

• 1 T • r -111 under the 

this time the chief power was m the hands Cariovingians. 
of certain great dukes, and when the last of the German 
Carlovingians died (a. d. 911), five of these got together 
and chose Duke Conrad of Franconia to be king ; so that 
Germany became an elective kingdom. 

195. On the death of Conrad the Saxons and Franco- 
nians united in placing Henry, a Saxon (called pirst line of 
Henry I., or the Fowler), on the throne (a. d. ei^perors. 
919); and he was the first of a series of five Saxon em- 
perors who ruled Germany for more than a century, and 
raised it to be the greatest power in Europe. 

196. Heni-y was succeeded by his son Otho the Great 
(a. d. Q'^6), under whom took place a very Revival of the 

> yo ;•> f J Western Em- 

important event, namely, the revival of the pire. 
Western Empire under the title of the " Holy Roman 
Empire of the German nation." This took place when 



286 MEDI/EVAL HISTORY. 

Otho married Adelaide, widow of Lothaire, the last Car- 
lovingian king of Italy : receiving the iron crown of Lom- 
bardy, he united Upper Italy with the German kingdom. 
Otho was consecrated emperor by the Pope in a. d. 962. 
From this time every German emperor continued to re- 
ceive a triple coronation, — as King of Germany, as King 
of Italy, as Emperor of the West. The " Empire " was 
after a time little more than a fiction, but it was a fiction 
that had a great influence on political affairs throughout 
the Middle Ages. The Saxon dynasty went on in three 
descendants of Otho, till a. d. 1024, when a line of Fran- 
conian emperors begins. 

197. The Franconian line of emperors lasted for a cen- 
Franconian tury and a year. The first was Conrad II., a. d. 
emperors. 1024. The chicf cvent of his reign was that 
the Kingdom of Burgimdy was united to the Empire. Con- 
rad's son, Henry III. (a. d. 1039), was one of the greatest 
of all the emperors. It was in his time that the Empire 
came to have a great deal to do with the election of the 
popes, for Henry III. took this matter into his own hands. 
Under the next emperor, Henry IV. (a. d. 1056), the 
troubles between the popes and the emperors grew to a 
great height, and we have seen that Pope Gregory VII. 
forced Henry IV. to beg his pardon. Henry V. had 
nearly the same disputes with the popes. As this emperor 
had no son, the Franconian line ended a. d. 1125. 

198. After Lothaire of Saxony had held the imperial 
Events under crown for twelve years, it passed to one of 

the Suabian , . ... ^ , i , • , 

emperors. the greatest families that ever held it, that 

of the Hohe7istaiifen., or Dukes of Suabia. The first of this- 
line was Conrad III., who reigned as king of Germany, 
but who was never crowned emperor. Frederick Bar- 
barossa, his nephew, was elected to succeed him, and he 
was crowned emperor a. d. 1155. The greater part of 
his reign was taken up with a struggle with the Lombard 



FRANCE. 287 



cities of Northern Italy, which claimed to be independent. 
The cities triumphed in the end, and by the Peace of 
Constance, a. d. 1183, acquired the right to govern them- 
selves. Under Frederick's successor, Henry VI., the king- 
dom of Sicily was conquered, and united with the Empire. 
Thus under the next emperor, Frederick II., were joined 
together the crowns of Germany, Italy, and Sicily. 

199. A period of confusion followed the death of Fred- 
erick II. (a. d. 1254), but finally Rudolf I. The Empire 
was chosen King of Germany, and with him Hapsburgs. 
began a new line of rulers, the House of Hapsbttrg, or of 
Austria. Rudolf was never crowned emperor, and indeed 
his successors, though they were still called Emperors of the 
Romans^ were really very little more than kings of Germany. 
Even in Germany their authority was always growing less, 
while the princes in Germany greatly enlarged their own 
powers. Then followed other kings on whom we need not 
dwell, till we come to Sig'ismund, who was crowned emperor. 
He was already Margrave of Bran'denburg and King of 
Hungar}^, which fact might make it appear strange that he 
should be chosen emperor ; but the Empire by itself was 
growing so weak that the electors thought it best to choose 
some powerful prince who had possessions outside of Ger- 
many. With Albert II. came in the Austrian branch of 
the Hapsburg line, and for many centuries, though the 
emperors were still always elected, yet the electors always 
chose a member of the House of Austria. The long reign 
of Frederick III. (a. d. 1440- 1493), the second of this 
house, carries us through the Middle Ages. 

2. FRANCE. 

200. The real beginning of what we understand by 
France was in the loth century. When Gaul Real begin- 

1 . 1 ning of 

was conquered by the Franks, it became a France. 



288 MEDIEVAL HISTORY. 

part of the kingdom of the Franks ; while under Charle- 
magne it was a part of his extensive Empire. 

201. After the partition of Charlemagne's Empire by 
France under the treaty of Verdun, the Carlovins^ian line 

the Carlovin- "^ „ . ' , f 

gians. went on rulmg m i:* ranee ; but they were 

feeble kings, and the powerful Dukes of Francia, Burgundy, 
Normandy, etc., were really independent sovereigns. The 
Carlovingian line came to an end with Louis the Sluggard ; 
and then in the confusion one of the great dukes, Hugh 
Capet \fcip-ay'\ Duke of Francia, made himself king by 
right of manhood. Thus the Duke of F?'a?icia became 
Ki7ig of France, and this was the real beginning of the 
kingdom of France, a. d. 987. 

202. During the imbecile rule of the Carlovingians, the 
Normans in northern coast of France was invaded by 
France. Scandinavian bands named Norsemen. These 
were rude-handed pirates and sea-rovers ; their galleys 
were painted to represent dragons, their banners bore 




Norse Galley. 

the figure of a raven ; they were worshipers of Thor 
and Woden, and delighted in blood. Under Rollo they 
appeared in the Seine (a. d. 901), and made themselves 
so formidable that Charles the Simple granted them the 



FRANCE. 



289 



province thenceforward called Normandy. In France the 
Norsemen became Christianized, and their name was soft- 
ened down to Normans. 

203. The Capetian line of French kings continued for 
nearly three centuries and a half, and com- capetian 
prised fifteen kings whose names and dates ^*"es. 

are given in the note below for convenience of reference.* 

204. The first of this line, as has been seen, was Hugh 
Capet. His descendants for many generations state of 
were, however, kings of France hardly more ^'"^^'^e- 
than in name ; for their vassals, the great dukes and counts, 
held the real authority. 

205. During the reign of the third king, Henry I., 
Duke William was rulinpf over the Duchy of Norman con- 

*=' '' quest of Eng- 

Normandy. William laid claim to the crown land, 
of England, and he invaded and conquered that land a. d. 
1066. As after this the Norman King of England was 
Duke of Normandy, England and France were brought 
into sharp rivalry, and a great part of the history of France 
during the Middle Ages is taken up with the hostilities be- 
tween the two countries. 

206. In 1 154 Henry II. of England began to rule. He 
married El'eanor, the divorced wife of Louis English pos- 

. sessions in 

VII. of France. As she was heiress of the France. 
French Province of Aquitaine', the English king held really 
greater possessions in France than did the French king 
himself. 

207. This state of affairs was altered by Philip II. 
(Philip Augustus), who wrested from the English king, 





A. D. 




A. D. 




A. D. 


Hugh Capet, 


9S7 


Louis vn., 


II37 


Philip IV., 


1285 


Robert, 


996 


Philip XL, 


I 180 


Louis X., 


I3H 


Henry I., 


IO3I 


Louis VHL, 


1223 


Tohn I, 


1316 


Philip I., 


1060 


Louis IX., 


1226 


Philip v., 


1316 


Louis VI., 


iioS 


Philip III., 


1270 


Charles IV., 
s 


1322 



290 MEDIEVAL HISTORY. 

John, Normandy, Maine, and other possessions in Northern 
Their recov- France. The recovery of these added greatly 
ery by France. |-q ^^ strength of France ; and the wise rule 
of Louis IX. (Saint Louis) gave her increased importance. 
Indeed, France at this time began to be a great nation, and 
she was henceforth reckoned amongst the foremost powers 
of Europe. 

208. The last of the Capetian dynasty, Charles IV., died 
Kings of the in 1 328, Icavinpf no male issue. The crown 

House of Va- o > fc> 

lois. now passed to his cousin, Philip of Valois, 

with whom begins the House of Valois.* This dynasty 
ruled for more than two and a half centuries, and ended with 
the assassination of Henry III. (a. d. 1589). 

209. At the commencement of the Valois period of 
Claims of French history, Edward III. was King of Eng- 
Edward III. land. As his mother was a sister of the late 
French king, Charles IV., and that king had left no son, 
Edward of England thought he should have the crown 
of France, and accordingly he fitted out a great armament 
by sea and land to wrest that crown from Philip of Valois 
(Philip VI.). There thus began a great war, called in 
French history the Hundred Years'* War. 

210. The most famous events in this series of wars 
are : — 

1. Battle of Crecy (a. d. 1346) : English victory. 

2. Battle of Poitiers (a. D. 1356) : English victory. [This first part of 
the war was ended by the Peace of Bretigny (a. D. 1360), by which 
the English king, Edward, gave up his claim to the crown of France ; 
but he kept his possessions in Aquitaine, together with Calais', and 
that no longer as a vassal, but as an independent king.] 



J-' 



Philip VI., 

John II., 1350 

Charles V., 1364 

Charles VI., 1380 

Charles VII , 1422 



Louis XI., 1461 
Charles VIIL, 1483 
Louis XII., 1498 
Francis I., 15 15 



Henry II., 1547 

Francis II., 1559 

Charles IX., 1560 

Henry III., 1574 



ENGLAND. 29 1 



3. Conquest of Aquitaine by the French. The French king, Charles V., 
broke the Peace of Bretigny, and wrested from the English nearly all 
of Aquitaine except the cities of Bordeaux' and Bayonne'. 

4. Renewal of the war by the English. Henry V. of England took 
advantage of the dissensions by which France was torn in pieces 
during the reign of the mad Frehch king Charles VI. The great 
action was the 

5. Battle of Agincourt (a. D. 1415) : English victory. 

[By a treaty of peace (a. d. 1420) it was agreed that the English 
king, Henry V., should succeed to the crown of France on the death 
of the mad king Charles VI., and that the two crowns were to be ever 
after united ] 

6. Refusal of the French to acknowledge the treaty after the death of 
both Charles and Henry in A. D. 1422 The war was now carried on 
by the French king Charles VII. 

7. Uprising of France, under the inspiration of the famous Maid of 
Orleans, Joan of Arc. By the enthusiasm which she excited, the 
French gained several victories over the English, and finally, by 
A. D. 1453, the latter were entirely driven from France retaining only 
the town of Calais. This closed the Hundred Years' War. 

211. On the whole, notwithstanding the long war with 
England, the kingdom of France grew greatly state of the 
in power and extent in tne times between the ^■■^"ch nation, 
middle of the 13th century and the middle of the 15th 
century. And, regarding the history of France during 
the Middle Ages as closing with Louis XL (a. d. 1483), 
we may say that the French nation was then the most 
powerful in Europe. 



3. ENGLAND. 

212. The history of Anglo-Saxon England has been 
traced up to the epoch of Charlemagne, when 

the various petty kingdoms were all united 

under King Egbert, at the beginning of the 9th century. 

213. The supremacy of Egbert was soon interrupted by 
the Danes, or Norsemen, and both he and his Troubles with 
successors were very greatly disturbed by them. *^® Danes. 



292 MEDIMVAL HISTORY. 

Alfred the Great was a grandson of Egbert, and became 
King of Wessex in a. d. 872. He was almost constantly em- 
ployed in fighting the Danes. But all he could do did not 
prevent them making a lodgement in England ; and a cen- 
tury after Alfred's death England was quite won by them, 
for the Dane Canute wore the English crown (a. d. 1017- 
1036), as did his successors till a. d. 1041. 

214. The Norman conquest of England, under William 
Effect of Nor- the Couqucror (a. d. 1066), the facts of which 
man conquest, j^^^^g been related (under France), was the next 
great event in the history of England. By this event the 
English nation was thoroughly subjugated. The Normans, 
who came over in crowds, were the ruling class. They had 
all the great offices. The Church and the law courts were 
directed by them. The official language was that spoken 
by the conquerors, that is, Norman-French, which was a 
Romance, or Latin-sprung, speech. 

215. The Saxons, however, were of tough mettle. They 
Persistence h^ld their own wcll, for in fact they were still 
of Saxons. ^^ great majority of the people. What is 
very important, also, they clung to their native Anglo-Saxon 
language. The effect on the language was peculiar. For 
a long time the two tongues did not coalesce. Anglo- 
Saxon remained the speech of the common people, while 
French was the official and the fashionable language. In 
two hundred years but few Norman words had been 
biought into the ordinary speech ; but meanwhile the An- 
glo-Saxon began to drop most of its peculiar grammatical 
forms. Then, when Saxon had been stripped down to semi- 
Saxon, there came about in the 14th century a remarkable 
rushing together of the languages. Thousands of Norman- 
French words were introduced into the common dialect, and 
the result was the type of English which we may read in 
Chaucer,* who lived in the 14th century. 

* As in the Cinterbury Tales. 



ENGLAND. 203 



216. To resume our outline of the dynastic history of 
England. The Norman line was composed of The Norman 
the following sovereigns : — kings. 

William I., a. d. ro66- 1087. 

I 
William II. (Rufus), a. d 1087 - i 100 — Henry I., a. d. i 100- i 135. 

Stephen, a. d. 1135-1154. 

217. William II. was the second surviving son, and Hen 
ry I. the youngest son, of William the Con- Lineage of 
queror. Stephen was the son of the Count of ^^^ •^»"&s- 
Blois and Adela, fourth daughter of William the Conqueror. 

218. With Henry II., son of Geoffrey Plantag' end and 
Matilda, daughter of Henry [., began the Plan- The piantage- 
tagenet line of sovereigns. nets. 

Henry II. (a. D. 1 154 -1 189). 

Richard I. (a.d. i 189 -i 199). John (a. d 1199-1216). 

Henry III. (a. d. 1216-1272). 

Edward I. (a. d. 1272- 1307). 

Edward II (a. d. 1307- 1327). 

Edward III. (a. d. 1327- 1377). 

I Richard II. (a. d 1377 -1399). 

219. During the reign of the wicked and foolish King 
John, the French won back Normandv, and on Result of the 
the whole it was a very good thing 'for Eng- SaS!'^ ^^' 
land that they did so. Says Macaulay : " John was driven 
from Normandy. The Norman nobles were compelled to 
make their election between the island and the continent. 
Shut up by the sea with the people whom they had hitherto 
oppressed and despised, they gradually came to regard Eng- 
land as their country, and the English as their countrymen. 



294 MEDIEVAL HISTORY. ' 

The two races, so long hostile, soon found that they had 
common interests and common enemies." 

220. It was in the 13th century that the Constitution of 

England began to put on the shape which it 

Magna Charta. , *^ , ^ . ^ ^^ ^ ^ 

has kept ever smce. 1 he first step was when 
the English people in a. d. 1215 forced King John to grant 
the Great Charter {Magna Charta), by which all the old 
rights and good laws which he had broken were confirmed. 
It has been the groundwork of English freedom ever since. 

221. The next step in freedom was one of even greater 

importance. This was the establishment of 
Parliament ^in the form of an Assembly with 
Two Houses. It came about in this way. The king, 
Henry III., John's son, had behaved badly. The great 
nobles, with Sir Simon Montfort, banded against the king, 
defeated him in the field, and made him captive. Then Sir 
Simon issued writs which added to the old assembly of I 
lords, clergy, and knights two burgesses from each borough ' 
(a. d. 1264). This was the commencement of the English 
House of Commons and of true representative government. 
It was a wonderful step in advance. 

222. The wars waged with the French had the effect 
Effect of the of developing in the English people a strong 
^^"■s- sentiment of nationality. It may be said that 
by this time all distinction of Norman and Saxon had 
ceased, and that there were only EnglisJwien. 

223. With the deposition by Parliament of Richard II., 
Lancastrian i'^ A. D. 1 399, the Plantagcnct line went '^uc. 
kings. Three kings of the House of Lancaster now 
followed: Henry IV. (a. D. 1399- 1413); Henry V. (a. d. 
1413-1422); Henry VI. (a. d. 1422-1461). 

224. In A. D. 1455 there broke out the great civil strife 
Wars of the known as the Wars of the Roses (the red rose, 
Roses. symbol of Lancaster, and the white rose, sym- 
bol of York), the contending parties being the respective 



ITAL Y. 



295 



representatives of the families of Lancaster and of York, 
both of which were claimants to the throne. Six years of 
war resulted in the accession of Edward IV., of the family 
of York. 

225. The House of York included three kings : Edward 
IV. (a. d. 1461 - 1483) ; Edward V. (a. d. 1483 HouseofVoA 
-1483); Richard III. (a. d. 1483 - 1485). 
The twenty-four years' reign of these three kings was 
filled with troubles and intrigues, and these continued till 
A. D. 1485, when a Lancastrian earl, son of Edward Tudor, 
came to the throne as Henry VII. With him the Tudor 
line of English sovereigns begins, and English mediaeval 
history ends. 



4. ITALY. 

226. When the extensive Empire of Charlemagne was 
parceled out by the treaty of Verdun (a. d. 843), changes in 
the Italian possession (comprising all of Lom- ^^^^y- 

bardy) fell to Lo- 
thaire, one of the 
grandsons of Char- 
lemagne. Under the 
German Emperor 
Otho these were, as 
has been seen, ab- 
sorbed in the " Holy 
Roman Empire." 
227. But this did 

not bring Her condi- 

quietude *'°"- 

to Italy ; for the emperors and the popes were continually 
quarreling, and Italy was inevitably drawn into the strug- 
gles between the Guelphs and the Ghibellines. The Ghib- 
ellines were the friends of the emperors ; the Guelphs, with 
whom the popes generally sided, upheld the cause of the 




The Lion of St. Mark. 



296 MEDIAEVAL HISTORY. 

Italian people, who were constantly striving to rend the 
links that bound them to the German Empire. 

228. In the latter half of the 12th century Frederick 
Struggle with Barbarossa attempted to strip the Italian 
the Emperor, towus of their dearly prized liberties. This 
resulted in the League of Lombardy in a. d. 1167, when 
twenty-three Italian cities united to claim, among other 
privileges, the right of electing their own magistrates and 
making their own laws. By granting charters and working 
on local jealousies, Frederick contrived to muster in oppo- 
sition a league of Ghibelline cities. For nine years war 
wasted Northern Italy, until the decisive Battle of Legna'no 
was fought in a. d. 1176. Seven years later, by the Peace 
of Constance, the Emperor acknowledged the right of the 
republics to govern themselves. 

229. The most illustrious of the Italian republics were 
Venice and Florence. 

230. The glory of Venice began with the Crusades. 

Her position, favorable for commerce, had 
already led to ship-building on a large scale ; 
and the hire of vessels to carry the Crusaders to Palestine 
filled her coffers with gold. Her ships brought back from 
Syria the silks and spices and jewels of the East. The same 
course led to the rapid rise of her rival, Genoa, on the oppo- 
site shore of Italy. With her commerce her manufactures 
also throve, — the silks and the glass made at Venice being 
especially prized, 

231. The territory of Venice spread at an early day 
Growth of round the northern shore of the Gulf. Istria 
Venice. ^^^ Dalmatia became hers. During the Fourth 
Crusade she gained the Ionian Islands, the Morea, and 
Candia ; and later she extended her sway through Lom- 
bardy as far as the Adda. Cyprus was conquered by her 
in A. D. 1480. 

232. In A. D. 1 1 72 the appointment of the Doge, or Duke, 



ITAL Y. 



297 



and other magistrates was vested in a grand council of four 
hundred and eighty members. Change after Political 
change took place, until a Council of Ten se- changes, 
cured the government to themselves. Under this unchecked 
oligarchy a reign of terror began. 

233. In the mean time the power of the state was decay- 



The League of Cambray was formed 



Decay. 



against the island-city in a. d. 150S by the 

Pope, the Emperor, and the kings of France and Spain, and 

she suffered a defeat from which she never fully recovered. 

234. The strength of Florence lay in the commercial 
spirit of the citizens. They wove in silk and pj^^.^^^^.^ 
wool, made jewelry, and especially followed 

the occupation of bankers. Their goX^ florin, first coined 
in A. D. 1252, became the standard currency of Europe. In 
A. D. 1250 the citizens, revolting against the rule of the 
Ghibelline nobles, established a magistracy styled the Sig- 
noria. Long and tedious feuds distracted Florence ; but in 
spite of these she grew rich. 

235. In the course of these troubles a family of mer- 
chants named the Medicis Vmed' e-chee\ rose to ^^ ..... 

\ ^ i The Medicis. 

great influence in Florentine politics; and 
finally one of these, named Lorenzo de Medici, raised him- 
self to be the head of the state. 
His splendid patronage of art 
and literature gained for Loren- 
zo the name of the Magnificent. 
He turned his gardens at Flor- 
ence into an Academy, he en- 
riched the public library with 
many hundreds of manuscripts 
collected in Italy and the East, 
and by his patronage of artists 
Lorenzo de Medici. made Florence the scene of some 

of the most brilliant triumphs ever won by brush or chisel. 
t3» 




298 



MEDIEVAL HISTORY. 



236. When Charles VIII. of France, crossing the Alps, 
invaded Italy, Florence was rudely despoiled. 
The Medicis were then banished from Flor- 
ence ; but they were restored in a. d. 1512. The republic, 
however, did not long endure. Its extinction dates from 
A. D. 1537, when Cosmo I. was proclaimed Duke of Flor- 
ence. In A. D. 1569 he was created by the Pope Grand Duke 
of Tuscany. But this carries us beyond the period of the 
Middle Ages, and we shall return to Italy under Modern 
History. 



5. SPAIN. 

237. It has already been seen that Spain was over- 
Condition whelmed by a Saracenic delug^e in the early 

under Moham- r i o i rr., ^i • • i • 

medan rule. part of the 8th ccntury. 1 he Christian king- 
dom was almost utterly crushed. However, after a time 
the Mohammedan dominions were split up among a num- 



A Y or BISCAY JjlTTJiTcl^ 




PilN INSULA '"f^ 
1491 / A. 



ANALYTIC SYNOPSIS. 



299 



ber of petty sovereigns, and the Christians began gradually 
to conquer back what had been lost. 

238. The kingdom of Navarre was founded in a. d. 873, 
the kingdom of Aragon in a. d. 1035, the king- Rj^e of Span- 
dom of Castile in a. d. 1026. Leon and Astu'- '^^^ kingdoms, 
rias were added in a. d. 1037, and Ferdinand of Leon and 
Castile added Cor'dova, Toledo, and Sev'ille between a. d. 
1234 and A. D. 1248. 

239. The Kingdom of Spain was formed by the union of 
Castile and Aragon, by the marriage of Ferdi- unification of 
nand and Isabella, and in a. d. 149 i, Granada, Spam. 

the last of the Mohammedan possessions, was wrested from 
the Moors by Ferdinand and Isabella. In the long cam- 
paign against the Moors the court moved with the army, 
and Columbus, who was then soliciting the aid of the 
Spanish sovereigns in his great enterprise, moved with it. 
It is an interesting fact that the formal arrangement, or 
capitulations^ between Isabella and Columbus is dated from 
the "Vega (or plain) of Granada" three days after the sur- 
render of the last stronghold of the Moors. 



ANALYTIC SYNOPSIS FOR REVEW. 



Fifth 
Century. 



The latter part of this century is 
filled with the events attending the 
dissolution of the Western Roman 
Empire. The series of emperors 
in the West comes to an end, and 
the Visigoths reign in Italy. Mean- 
while the Goths, Franks, and other 
Teutonic nations press into the Em- 
pire, and out of their settlements 
the Romance nations of Europe 
arise. At the same time the An- 
gles and Saxons are settling in 
Britain and laying the foundations 
of the English nation. 



Progress of Civili- 
zation. 



Introduction of 
Christianity into 
France. 



300 



MEDI/EVAL HISTORY. 



Sixth 
Century. 



Seventh 
Century. 



In the sixth century the Franks 
establish themselves as the domi- 
nant race, and under Clovis, A. D. 
510, found a kingdom of the Franks 
that embraced parts of what we 
now call France and Germany. 
Clovis is succeeded by other kings 
of the Merovingian line. In the 
Byzantine Empire Justinian reigns 
in the first half of the century. 
Under him the Ostrogoths are 
driven out of Italy, and a good 
part of the peninsula is united with 
the Eastern Empire, as is also the 
Vandal kingdom in Africa. But 
in the latter half of this century 
the Lombards pour into Italy and 
conquer the whole northern part, 
leaving to the Eastern Empire only 
some parts of Central Italy — the 
Exarchate of Ravenna — and of the 
southern section. The Lombards 
establish the kingdom ofLombardy, 
[embracing the valley of the Po. 

The first half of the seventh cen- 
tury is marked by the rise of Mo- 
hammedanism, and by the first 
great Saracenic conquests (Hegira, 
A. D. 622). Under the Caliphs the 
Saracens wrench from the Eastern 
Empire a great part of its Oriental 
dominion. North Africa also is 
conquered. But Constantinople 
successfully withstands the Sara- 
cenic assaults In Italy and the 
land of the Franks matters remain 
much as at the close of the previ- 
ous century. England is Chris- 
tianized ; but it is not yet £ng- 
land, — being divided among seven 
or eight petty sovereignties called 
ll-.e Heptarchy. 



Silk-worms brought 
to Europe. 



Roman law codified 
under Justinian. 



Introduction of 
Christianity into 
England. 



Latin disused 
Italy. 



Pens made from 
quills. 



Glass manufactured 
in England. 



Alexandrian Library 
destroyed. 



Greek fire invented. 



Koran published. 



ANALYTIC SYNOPSIS. 



301 



Eighth 
Century. 



Ninth 
Century. 



In the early part of the eighth 
century the Saracens cross into 
Spain, which falls almost wholly 
into their hands. They also at- 
tempt to push their conquests 
beyond the Pyrenees, but are met 
at Tours by Charles Martel and 
defeated. The Frankish kings 
sink into mere nonentities. The 
real rulers are the Mayors of the 
Palace ; and one of these, Pepin, 

\ deposes the last Merovingian, and 
becomes the founder of the Carlo- 
vingian line. Under Pepin's son, 
Charlemagne, the Frankish domin- 
ion is greatly extended ; North- 
ern Italy is conquered from the 
Lombards, and on Christmas day, 
A. D. 800, Charlemagne is crowned 
Emperor of the West. Pepin lays 
the foundation of the temporal 
power of the popes by the gift of 

1^ the Exarchate of Ravenna 

In the early part of the ninth 
century the various petty sover- 
eignties in England are all united 
into one kingdom under Egbert : 
and the brilliant period of Alfred 
comes in the latter half of this 
century. In Spain the Saracenic 
power declines, and the Christian 
kingdoms of Navarre and Leon are 
founded. Under the successors of 
Charlemagne the Empire is broken 
up into the three kingdoms of 
France, Germany, and Italy ; but 
it is a period of great confusion 
and many changes in these coun- 
tries, owing to the fact that the 
feudal barons assume the power of 
sovereign princes in various parts 
of the Empire. 



Paper made 
cotton. 



from 



Carpets introduced. 



Schools of learning/ 
founded by the 
Saracens. 



Greek works of sci- 
ence translated 
into Arabic. 



Clocks brought to 
Western Europe. 



Oxford University 
founded. 



Agriculture and hor- 
ticulture encour- 
aged in Germany. 



A navy first organ- 
ized by Alfred the 
Great. 



k 



302 



MEDIAEVAL HISTORY. 



Tenth 
Century. 



Eleventh 
Century. 



In the early part of the tenth cen- 
tury the Norsemen become promi- 
nent, and under Rollo they make 
a landing at the mouth of the Seine, 
and become so formidable that the 
French king cedes to them the 
province of Normandy. They also 
(as Danes) assert their power in 
England and maintain a footing 
there. At the same time Germany 
passes entirely away from the Car- 
lovingians, and under new sover- 
eigns begins to grow great. Otho, 
the German king, is crowned em- 
peror ; so that most of Italy is now 
part of the Empire. In France, to- 
wards the end of the century, the im- 
becile Carlovingian dynasty comes 
to an end ; Hugh Capet, the Duke 
of Francia, is crowned king, and the 
. French monarchy now really begins. 

\ During the eleventh century the 
German Empire is the foremost 
power in Europe. The popes also 
have risen to great influence in 
temporal affairs, and a good part 
of this century is marked by a great 
and prolonged struggle between 
the popes and the emperors. In 
the latter half of the century Hilde- 
brand (Gregory VII.) is Pope; he 
asserts the power of the Church 
over all temporal sovereigns, and 
compels the Emperor Henry IV. 
humbly to sue for pardon. The 
Norman conquest of England takes 
place during the latter half of this 
century, — A. D. 1066. The king- 
dom of Castile is greatly enlarged 
at the expense of the Mohamme- 
dans. Towards the end of the cen- 

. tury the Crusades begin. 



Arabic notation in- 
troduced into Eu- 
rope. 



Wine-presses first 
introduced into 
Italy. 



Cambridge Univer- 
sity founded. 



Musical notes 
vented. 



Windmills first used. 



Clocks with wheels 
introduced. 



Beginnings of native 
literature in the 
Romance tongues. 



ANALYTIC SYNOPSIS. 



303 



Twelfth 
Century, 



Thirteenth 
Century. 



I 



During this century much is done 
towards bringing the various pow- 
ers of Europe into something like 
the state in which they are now. 
The Italian cities assert their inde- 
pendence, the power of the Ger- 
man Empire comes pretty well to 
an end, and Germany and Italy 
begin to be collections of separate 
states, independent or nearly so. 
The Crusades go on at intervals 
during this century. Chivalry be- 
comes a great institution. The 
Italian republics rise to great wealth 
and glory. It is also a season of 

[general intellectual awakening, and 
Europe has completely emerged 
from the Dark Ages. 

The Crusades continue during 
the thirteenth century, but in a 
feebler way, and finally cease in 
the latter half In England Nor- 
mans and English are fully recon- 
ciled ; the English kings, losing the 
greater part of their dominions in 
France, are forced to become na- 
tional sovereigns ; the rights of 
the people are asserted in Magna 
Charta, and the establishment of 
the House of Commons. In Ger- 
many the Empire is upheld by 
Frederick II. (King also of Sicily), 
thus joining together in himself 
three crowns ; but he has continual 
strivings with various po]5es. In 
Spain, the Saracens and Moors are 
left with nothing but Granada. This 
is also a period of general intel- 
lectual improvement. The universi- | 
ties are established, and this is the ' 
age of the Minnesingers of Germany I 
and of Gothic church-architecture. 



Cultivation of the 
sugar-cane intro- 
duced into Sicily. 



Glass windows used 
in England. 



Introduction of the 
scholastic philoso- 
phy by Abelard, 
Peter Lombaro, 
and others. 



Spectacles invented. 



Glass mirrors used. 



Clocks to strike 
made in Europe. 



Science cultivated 
by Roger Bacon 
and Albertus 
Magnus. 



Marco Polo 
neyed into 
ern Asia. 



jour- 
East- 



304 



MEDIEVAL HISTORY. 



Fourteenth 
Century. 



Fifteenth 
Century. 



During a good part of this cen- 
tury England and France are en- 
gaged in war. France, in conse- 
quence of the English invasions 
of Edward III., is nearly con- 
quered ; but she gains in the end. 
These wars exercise a great influ- 
ence in uniting the English into 
one nation. The English language 
takes on to a good degree its mod- 
ern form : it is now really English, 
not Anglo-Saxon or Semi Saxon. 
In Italy learning revives ; but the 
republics lose most of their free- 
dom. Spain is gradually becoming 
a great power. Norway, Denmark, 
and Sweden are joined by the 
Union of Calmar. 

In the course of this century we 
get fairly beyond the Middle Ages. 
The feudal form of society has been 
gradually undermined, and strong 
national monarchies have arisen in 
the various European countries. 
The Eastern Empire comes to an 
end, being overthrown by the 
Turks in the middle of this cen- 
tury Spain becomes one great 
nation by the union of Aragon and 
Castile. The application of the 
mariner's compass leads to distant 
sea voyages, — new lands are 
opened up. Gunpowder changes 
the art of war, and printing makes 
an intellectual revolution. 



Mariner's compass 
introduced into 
Europe. 



Paper made from 
linen rags. 



Gunpowder and can- 
non used in war. 



Pins invented. 

Beginnings of Eng- 
lish literature,— 
Chaucer. 

New Testament 
translated by 
Wycliffe. 



Invention of the art 
of printing. 



Greek philosophers 
seek refuge in 
I Italy. 

Algebra borrowed 
from the Arabs. 

Discovery of Amer- 



Passage round Cape 
of Good Hope dis- 
covered. 




*.».« i Ulr.iHurl.H.T. 



TRANSITION TO MODERN HISTORY. 



305 



SECTION V. 
MODERN HISTORY. 

FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE 16TH CENTURY TO THE PRESENT TIME. 

CHAPTER I. 

TRANSITION TO MODERN HISTORY. 

1. INTRODUCTION. 

I, It is difficult to fix upon a precise date at which to 
s; y Mediaeval History ended and Modern when does 

TT . 1 r 111 mediaeval 

H istory began ; for, as a great author declares, history end ? 
" The horologe of Time does not peal out the passage from 
one era to another." And indeed this difficulty is shown 




First Printing-Press. 



Vasco da Gama. 



by the different dates selected by different historians as 
the proper close of the Middle Ages. Some place it at 
the date of the capture of Constantinople by the Turks, 
when the Eastern Roman Empire came to an end. But 

T 



306 MODERN HISTORY. 

this was far from being an event of marked importance 
for Europe in general. Others place it at the date of the 
discovery of America. But this event, great though it was, 
was merely one event in a series of maritime discoveries. 
Others, again, place it at the close of the 15th century. But 
this is purely arbitrary. 

2. In place of marking one single date as the close of 
Period of the old and the commencement of the new 
transition. ^^^^ j|- ^jjj ]-jg wiser to regard the period in- 
cluded between the latter part of the 15th and the early 
part of the i6th century as a Period of Transition^ in pass- 
ing through which it may fairly be said that we cross the 
bridge from mediaeval to modern history. 

3. This period will embrace several marked events and 
Events in- rcvolutions in affairs : as, the destruction of 
eluded. |-]^g Eastern Empire ; the era of maritime dis' 
covery, including the discovery of America and the circum 
navigation of Africa ; the invention of printing and the 
revival of learning ; the invention of gunpowder, with con- 
sequent changes in the art of war and in the organization 
of society ; the decline of feudalism and the establishment 
of centralized monarchies. 



2. FALL OF THE EASTERN EMPIRE. 

4. In the middle of the 15th century Constantine Palae- 

state of the ol'ogus was the rulcr over the Byzantine Em- 
Eastern Em- . ° , 11, 
pire. pire ; but this empire was reduced almost to 

the limits of the city of Constantinople, — for to such a 

pass had the great dominion of Constantine been brought 

by the vice and folly of its rulers, the fury of theological 

controversy, and the corruption of its citizens. Thus sunk 

in hopeless decay, it was to fall before the power of the 

Ottoman Turks. 

5. The power of the Ottoman Turks commenced in 



FALL OF THE EASTERN EMPIRE. 



307 



Asia Minor, and was laid by Othman, or Ottoman (born 
12^8), who, orio^inally ruler of a small moun- History of 

? ^\. .' ,^ . ^ ^ , . , . the ottoman 

tam district forming the frontier of ancient Turks. 
Bithynia and Phrygia, gradually extended his dominion 
till it became one of the most flourishing states of Asia 
Minor. The advance of the Ottoman dynasty after this 
was rapid. Not only did nearly all Asia Minor fall under 
Turkish sway, but in the 14th century the Turks crossed 
the Hellespont, made Adrianople their capital, and reach- 
ing out from there gradually stripped the Byzantine em- 
perors of Thrace, Macedon, Servia, and Southern Greece. 
At length Mohammed II. ascended the Ottoman throne 
(1451), and, from the moment of his accession, directed his 
efforts to the capture of Constantinople. 

6. At the head of an army of 300,000 men, supported 
by a powerful fleet, he laid siege to the cele- siege of Con- 
brated metropolis. Constantine Palasologus stantinopie. 
met the storm valiantly, and for fifty-three days made a 
stout defense of the city. At last, on the 29th of May, 




Use of Gunpowder at the Siege of Constantinople. 

1453, the Turks stormed the walls, having previously bat- 
tered them with cannon (then used for perhaps the first 



3o8 



MODERN HISTORY. 



time) ; Constantine fell, sword in hand, boldly disputing 
every inch of ground ; multitudes of his subjects were mas- 
sacred ; the Crescent waved over the church of St, Sophia, 
and the Byzantine Empire fell forever. 



3. MARITIME DISCOVERIES. 

7. We have now to take a survey of the maritime 

The world discovcries of the it;th century, and the con- 
before the 15th , . ^ - -^ ' 
century. scqucnt chaugcs m trade and commerce. 

The accompanying map presents to the eye the world as 




we now know it, with the world as known to Europeans 



MARITIME DISCOVERIES. 3O9 

previous to the discovery of America and the circumnavi- 
gation of Africa. From this it will appear that, during the 
whole of what we call ancient history and the Middle Ages, 
the historic stage was limited to Europe, a small part of 
Western Asia, and a narrow strip of Northern Africa. 
We are now to learn how these limits were prodigiously 
enlarged in consequence of the great discoveries that mark 
the latter half of the 15th century. 

8. A knowledge of the properties of the magnet was a 
necessary antecedent of distant ocean voyages invention of 
and the discovery of unknown lands. The ^^^ compass, 
invention of the compass has commonly been attributed to 
an Italian named Gioja S^jo'yd\ who flourished about the 
beginning of the 14th century; but erroneously, for the in- 
strument was known, even in Europe, nearly two centuries 
before this time. It was then, however, in a very rudimen- 
tary state, being merely a needle rubbed on a loadstone 
and floating on a cork, or other light substance, in a vessel 
filled with water, — a method used long before by the 
Chinese. The really important question is. When was the 
compass practically applied in navigation ? This does not 
seem to have been done till about the beginning of the 
15th century. 

9. It was the Portuguese who, under the patronage of 
Prince Henry of Portugal, took the lead in Prince Henry 
maritime discovery. Retiring to the promon- °^ Portugal, 
tory of St. Vincent, this enlightened prince established 
himself at the seaport town of Sa'gres, where he built an 
observatory and gathered around him from all quarters 
men skilled in astronomy and navigation. With these he 
discussed bold projects of maritime enterprise \ and the 
point to which he especially directed his attention was 
the practicability of sailing round Africa and of thus reach- 
ing the East Indies. 

10. The southernmost cape of Africa known in those 



3IO MODERN HISTORY. 

days was Cape Non, which received this appellation from 
Portuguese the idea that it was utterly impossible to o^et 

discoveries in i i • t^ i r/ r tt 

Africa. Dcyond this cape. But the omcers of Henry, 

having at length doubled it, found Cape Bojador \bozh- 
d-dor'] ; and this awful cape being passed by, the region 
of the tropics was penetrated, and divested of its fancied 
terrors ; the river Sen'egal was observed, the greater part 
of the African coast, from Cape Blanco to Cape de Verde, 
was explored, and the Cape de Verde and the Azore Islands 
were discovered. Before the death of Prince Henry, in 
1463, Portuguese discovery had been pushed to within five 
degrees of the equator. 

11. The passion for discovery languished after the death 
Their further ^i Princc Henry ; but it was revived with ad- 
^rogress. ditional ardor by his grand-nephew. King John 
II. (1481). In his reign the Portuguese for the first time 
crossed the equator and beheld the stars of a new hemi- 
sphere : in 1484 a Portuguese fleet sailed fifteen hundred 
miles south of the equator, settlements were made on the 
coast of Guinea, and a regular commerce was established. 

12. The Portuguese now began to conceive the pos- 
Circumnaviga- sibility of reaching India by a southern nav- 
tion of Africa, jgation around Africa. In 1487 Bartholo- 
mew Di'az sailed far enough south not only to descry, 
but to double, the Cal^o Tormenioso^ or Cape of Storms ; 
and as the coast was ascertained to run towards the north- 
east, the prospect of success seemed now so clear that the 
king renamed this cape Cabo de Boa Esperan^a, or Cape of 
Good Hope. The " good hope " was reahzed by Vasco da 
Gama, who, having doubled the southern point of Africa, 
arrived at Cal'icut, in Malabar, in May, 1498, A sea-route 
to India was thus opened up. 

13. The desire of reaching India by sea was the inspir- 
What led to ing motivc of a voyage that resulted in a still 

the discovery ^ . ,. ^ ^ ^• 

of America. morc brilliant discovery, namely, the discov- 
ery of America by Columbus. 



MARiriME DISCOVERIES. 3II 

14. Columbus's love of enterprise was no doubt stimu- 
lated by the maritime discoveries of the Portu- Aim of Co- 
guese ; and it has been recently proved that *""^t>us. 

he conceived his grand project soon after his arrival in 
Portugal. This project, as is well known, was by no means 
that of finding a new continent, but of seeking a passage 
to India, the land of gold and spices. He knew that the 
Portuguese were bending their efforts to reach India by the 
circumnavigation of Africa ; and his grand inspiration was 
that India might more readily be attained by sailing west- 
ward across the Atlantic. 

15. The success of the Portuguese in India, though not 
so brilliant, was scarcely less important than Portuguese 
that of the Spaniards in America. Albu- indies, 
querque conquered Goa (15 n), and made it the capital of 
the Portuguese establishments in the East. But the Portu- 
guese generally abstained from territorial acquisition ; they 
contented themselves with commercial establishments along 
the coast, whence they exported from India direct the arti- 
cles which the Venetians had formerly supplied to Europe 
through Egypt and the Levant. 

16. The circumnavigation of Africa made a complete 
revolution in the commercial condition of Effect of sea- 

T- , 1 , • 1 1 1 1 r -i route to India 

Europe : the trade which had been conhned on trade, 
to the Mediterranean now traversed the Atlantic, and the 
Western nations hastened to share in its gains. With 
characteristic indolence, the Portuguese carried the Indian 
produce no farther than Lisbon, where it was sold to for- 
eign merchants for transmission to other countries. The 
Dutch engaged very eagerly in this carrying-trade, and 
found it so lucrative that they took the earliest opportunity 
of excluding the Portuguese themselves from all share in 
their commerce by depriving them of their colonies. 

17. England was not altogether without a share in these 
great maritime discoveries. In 1497, under the auspices 



312 



MODERN HISTORY. 



of Henry VII., Sebastian Cabot, a native of Bristol, and 
Part taken by One of the three sons of John Cabot, a Venetian 
the English. merchant settled in that city, sailed around the 
northern coast of Labrador, touched at a point supposed to 
have been either New'foundland or Cape Breton', and sailed 
to the south along the coast of what is now the United 
States as far as latitude 38°. His enterprise led to no im- 
mediate advantage, though the discoveries of Cabot are of 
interest as having been the foundation of the English claims 
to dominion in North America. 

18. The growth of commerce in this age was very rapid, 
Circumnavi- but there appeared to be still room for further 
gauon of the ^y^^^^^^^'^^^^ ^^til the globe was circumnavi- 
gated by the ships of Magel'lan (15 19- 152 1). From that 
time the attention of nations began to be directed more to 
completing old discoveries than to the search for new lands. 
The navies of Europe commenced to assume a formidable 
aspect ; manufactures multiplied, and states previously poor 
became suddenly rich. Sovereigns and governments began 
to direct their attention to commerce, justly persuaded that 
mercantile wealth is the source as well of the prosperity as 
of the glory of nations. 



4. THE REVIVAL OF LEARNING. 

19. While the European mind, in the 15th century, was 
Circumstances thus astir with the spirit of discovery, there 
attending the ^qq]^ placc that remarkable intellectual awak- 

revival oi ^ . , r t • tur 

learning. euing Styled the Revival of Learning. We 

have already seen that this movement had begun in the 
latter part of the Middle Ages. Long before the fall of 
Constantinople the love of classical literature had been 
gradually reviving; — that event increased it by compelling 
a great number of learned Greeks to seek shelter in Italy, 
and other parts of Western Europe, carrying with them 



Jl 



THE REVIVAL OF LEARNING. 313 

their treasures of classic lore. There now began among 
scholars a most ardent search for buried and neglected 
manuscripts, and their diligence was rewarded by the discov- 
ery of many precious monuments of the Greek and Roman 
literature. The labors of these scholars were mainly in- 
strumental in producing that state of things which turned 
men's minds towards the invention of printing, and nour- 
ished it to maturity when invented. 

20. It is rather singular, in connection with the history 
of printing, so aptly termed the " art preserva- Controversy 

^ '=•' , , ., . ^ on the origin 

tive of all the arts, that while it records the of printing, 
birth of other inventions, no positive record exists of its own. 
A controversy has arisen, concerni-ng the origin of the art, 
between the three towns of Harlem, Mentz, and Strasburg ; 
each, from a natural partiality, attributing it to her own citi- 
zens. The dispute, however, has turned rather on words 
than facts, and it seems to have arisen from the different 
definitions of the word priniDig. If the invention of the 
principle be made the criterion, the honor is unquestionably 
due to Laurence Coster, a native of Harlem, who first 
found out the method of impressing characters on paper 
by means of carved blocks of wood. If movable types be 
considered as the criterion, the merit of the discovery is 
due to John Gu'tenberg of Mentz ; while Schoeffer \slicf'cr\ 
in conjunction with Faust, was the first who founded types 
of metal. 

21. In regard to the earliest books printed, the follow- 
ing facts are of interest : — 

1423. Year of the earliest dated print. This is known as the "St. 

Christopher " print, — a single engraved page with a few lines of 

em^raved letters. 
1438. Letters separately cut in wood about this date. 
1450. Letters separately cast in metal about this date. 
1455. Bible in Latin. This earliest complete printed book known is 

called the Afaz'arin Bible, from having been found in the collection of 

Cardinal Mazarin. It is supposed to have been issued from the press 

of Gutenberg and Faust at Mentz, about 1455- 



314 MODERN HISTORY. 

1457. Psalter in Latin; printed at Mentz by Gutenberg and Faust, — 

first book printed with a date. 
T460. Bible in Latin and German : earliest example of a book printed 

on both sides of the leaf with metal types. 
1474. First book printed in England by Caxton. Its title is " The 

Game and Playe of the Chesse." 

5. DECLINE OF FEUDALISM. 

22. At the close of the 15 th and commencement of the 
Feudalism in 1 6th ccntury, the power of the great European 
France. vassals had been shaken, but not annihilated. 
In France feudalism had received a severe blow at the 
hands of Louis XI. ; yet it still in some degree survived ; it 
threatened to rise again during the civil wars of France, 
and was not completely extinguished till the time of Riche- 
lieu. 

23. So also in Spain, though much abated, it remained 
In Spain and to be put down by the policy of the Emperor 
England. Charlcs V., and his successor Philip II. In 
England the great vassals of the crown had never been so 
powerful as on the Continent ; and hence in the time of 
John they had been obliged to league themselves with the 
people in defense of their common rights. The great Earl 
of Warwick in the reign of Edward IV., and the Duke of 
Buckingham in that of Richard III., are among the last 
remarkable instances of formidable power in the nobles. 
The greater part of them perished in the Wars of the Roses. 

24. Among the chief agents in the destruction of feu- 
Resuit of the dalism were the invention of gunpowder and 

invention of , , • i ^ r r 

powder. the Consequent change in the art or war ; tor 

neither the armor of the knights nor the thick walls of 
their castles were proof against bullets and cannon-balls. 

25. Although it is universally conceded that gunpow- 
Period of the ^er was invented by Roger Bacon, the English 
invention. monk, in the 13th century, it was long before 
the invention was applied to the art of v;ar. This applica- 



K/SE OF CK EAT MONARCHIES. 315 

tion has been claimed for Berthold Schwartz, a German 
apothecary, about 1330 ; but gunpowder appears to have 
been used in war by the Moors before that period. 



6. RISE OF GREAT MONARCHIES. 

26. The most striking fact in the political aspect of 
Europe at the commencement of modern his- Great feature 
tory is the appearance of a series of great °^ ^^^ period, 
centralized monarchies, which in the period of transition 
arose upon the ruins of the Feudal States. 

27. Despotism could not exist in the time of feudalism, 
on account of the resistance of the nobility ; cause of royal 
but when the great vassals were overthrown, despotism, 
the kings gradually contrived to get all power into their 
own hands. And thus, strange to say, the condition of 
affairs at the beginning of the modern period, though in 
some respects a going forward, was in other respects a 
falling back from the state of affairs in the Middle Ages. 
It was a time when laws could be more regularly carried 
out, when much of the turbulence and disorder of the 
feudal period came to an end. But it was also a time when 
political freedom retrograded, when the great states became 
absolute monarchies under sovereigns whose will was law. 

28. These monarchs wielded the sword of the state, 
and this sword was the Standing Army, a thing Effect of stand- 
new in European history. In the feudal ages, *"& armies, 
when, in order to make war, the sovereign had to call on 
his liegemen, there was always this limitation of the king's 
power, that the great vassals might not obey. But an army 
of soldiers kept constantly under the king's pay was a tre- 
mendous weapon which he could wield at will ; and it was 
by means of this weapon that the kings in most parts of 
Europe ov^erthrew the free institutions that had arisen in 
the IMiddle Ages. 



3 1 6 MODERN HIS TOR V. 

29. The people surrendered these liberties without heed ; 
Surrender of foi" such was the Spirit of the age, that men 
liberties. j^^^ come to think the sovereign and the state 
one, and patriotism meant simply loyalty to the king. This 
was a devotion not without its noble aspect, but it was fatal 
to the people ; and we shall see that liberties surrendered 
thus lightly had afterwards to be reclaimed with terrible 
throes. 

30. The absolute power which the great sovereigns had 
Nature of the acquired enabled them to wage wars for their 
wars waged. ^^^^-^ purposcs, — wars in which the nations 
that they governed had very little interest, and w^hich were 
designed merely for the aggi-andizement of particular royal 
families. Thus, though the most valuable part of history 
is that which concerns the people themselves, and not 
that which has to do with kings and courts, it happens 
that at this period we cannot pass over the latter in silence, 
because the relations, hostile or othenvise, of great princes 
form really the most salient facts in the history of the i6th 
and 17th centuries. 

31. The understanding of this state of affairs will help 
Balance of ^^^^ Student to 3. knowledge of what is meant 
Power. i^y ^}jg balance of power, — of which we read 
a great deal in modern European history. For when the 
strength of nations thus became centralized in the hands 
of a few monarchs, it was not unlikely that one of these 
might through his own power, aided by family connections, 
gain a gi'eat and dangerous preponderance over the others. 
Now the aim of the policy named the balance of power was 
to attain such a just distribution of force, either by alliance 
or internal resources between the different states, that no 
one should overshadow the others. This led to exceed- 
ingly complicated international relations, and the combina- 
tion of nations thus formed is often spoken of as the "States- 
System of Europe." 



AGE OF CHARLES V. 



317 



CHAPTER II. 
GREAT EVENTS OF THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY. 

fAge of Charles V. 
England under Henry VHI. 
TOPICS.... J Rise of the Dutch Republic. 

I Civil and Religious Wars of France. 
( Age of Elizabeth. 

I. AGE OF CHARLES V. 

32. It is the brilliant figure of Spain that first attracts 
our attention at the beginning of modern his- Growth of 
tory ; and indeed we may fairly say that dur- Spanish power, 
ing most of the i6th century Spain was the greatest power 
in Europe. For a long time during the Middle Ages Spain 
lay obscurely between the ocean and the Pyrenees, and 
carried on wars and policies which were limited by its 
territorial bounds. Indeed, we can hardly say that at 
this time Spain was a nation at all ; for the peninsula 
was parceled out between a number of small independent 
kingdoms, while the Moors, though their power had been 
greatly circumscribed, still held firm foothold in Grenada. 
But the marriage of Ferdinand of Aragon with Isabella of 
Castile united the two most powerful states. Then these 
sovereigns entered upon a vigorous campaign against the 
Moors, and the year 1491 saw the fall of Grenada. In 15 12 
Ferdinand conquered nearly all the kingdom of Navarre, 
— so that the whole peninsula except Portugal was thus 
joined together; and the year 1516 saw the supreme power 
over all united Spain descend on the head of the grand- 
son of Ferdinand and Isabella. Now this grandson was 
the character known in history as the Emperor Charles V. 



3l8 MODERN HISTORY. 

33. Charles V. was born at Ghent in the year 1500. 
Position of He was the son of Philip, Archduke of Austria 
Charles V. {^o\\ of Maximilian, Emperor of Germany), and 
of Joanna (daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain). 
At the age of fifteen he assumed the government of Flan- 
ders, which came to him through his paternal grandmother, 
Mary of Burgundy. In the following year, 15 16, the death 
of his maternal grandfather, Ferdinand, placed on his 
head the brilliant crown of Spain, and as Don Carlos I. he 
ruled jointly with his mother, Joanna, who, however, was 
insane. The Spanish dominion at this time included not 
only Spain, but Naples, Sicily, Sardinia, and those vast 
possessions beyond the Atlantic with which the genius of 
the Genoese navigator had dowered the Castilian Crown. 
Three years after this, in 15 19, the death of his pater- 
nal grandfather (the Emperor Maximilian) transferred to 
him the sovereignty of Austria and of the other hereditary 
possessions of the House of Hapsburg. 

34. The death of Maximilian transferred to Charles 
He is chosen Maximilian's hereditary possessions, but not 
Emperor. ^^ imperial crown ; for in these times the 
Emperor of Germany was elected by the Electors^ or great 
princes of the various German states. Accordingly, on the 
death of Maximilian, in 15 19, it became the duty of these 
Electors to choose an emperor of Germany. Charles's 
most formidable competitor was Francis I. of France, 
though for a while young Henry VIII. of England sought 
the glittering prize. Charles was chosen ; so that now 
Don Carlos I. of Spain became the Emperor Charles V., 
and as such he was crowned with the diadem of Charle- 
magne at Aix-la-Chapelle, in the year 1520. He was but 
twenty years old, yet he ruled a dominion more extensive 
than that which had obeyed the sway of Alexander or of 
Augustus. 

35. The two great events of the reign of the Emperor 



AGE OF CHARLES V. 3I9 

Charles V. are: i. The rise of Protestantism; 2. The wars 
carried on under the lead of Francis I. of Two chief 

events of the 

France against Charles V., to maintain the reign, 
balance of power. 

36. At the beginning of the i6th centur\^ all the nations 
of Western Europe were in communion with Position of 

, ,. „, , ^ . , the Catholic 

the Roman Catholic Church. It is true that church, 
from time to time, during the latter half of the Middle Ages, 
there had been religious discontents among particular men. 
Thus in. the 12th century there arose in the South of France 
a sect called the Albigenses, who agreed in considering 
the authority claimed by the popes in spiritual matters, as 
well as the discipline and ceremonies of the Roman Church, 
erroneous and unlawful. Very similar opinions were pro- 
claimed in England in the 14th century by Wycliffe, and in 
the next century by Huss in Bohemia. But these revolts 
against the See of Rome had been partial and temporary, 
and they were all put down, though not till many persons 
were burnt as heretics. ' 

37. It happened, however, very soon after the beginning 
of the 1 6th century, that great controversies Beginnings of 
on matters of religion arose. There was com- dissent, 
plaint at many practical abuses in the Church, and at the 
claims of the popes to interfere in the affairs of nations ; 
and there was also a growing feeling among many that not 
a few of the doctrines which were believed, and of the cere- 
monies which were practiced, in the Church, were contrary 
to Scripture. 

38. It w^as in this state of affairs that there arose a dis- 
pute, trivial indeed in its nature, but which Protestantism 

1 ' at the loun- 

kindled a flame that quickly spread over most tain, 
of Western Europe. When Leo X. came to the Papal chair, 
he found the treasury of the Church exhausted by the am- 
bitious projects of his predecessors. He therefore had 
recourse to every means which ingenuity could devise for 



320 MODERN HISTORY. 



recruiting his exhausted finances, and among these he 
adopted an extensive sale of mdulgences, which in former 
ages had been a source of large profits to the Church.* 
The Dominican friars, having obtained the monopoly of 
the sale in Germany, employed as their agent Tetzel, one 
of their own order, who carried on the traffic in a manner 
that was veiy offensive, and especially so to the Augustinian 
friars. 

39. One of these, named Martin Luther, Professor of 
First appear- Thcology in the University of Wittenberg, took 
Luther. the lead in opposing Tetzel. Having vainly 
sought to procure the suppression of the traffic from the 
Archbishop of Mag'deburg, he appealed to the people and 
to men of letters (15 17), by publishing ninety-five theses 
condemning the sale of indulgences as contrary to reason 
and Scripture. 

40. This was in 15 17. Several of the nobles and princes 
Progress of of Germany eagerly embraced his cause, for 
Luther. ^j^gy wcrc augcrcd at seeing large quantities 
of money drained from their own country to be expend- 
ed on works of art in Italy. The Papal party accepted 
Luther's challenge, fully believing that the slightest exer- 
tion of power would at once stifle opposition. Leo X., too 
proud to trouble himself about the opposition of a simple 
friar, published a bull^ or decree, condemning the theses of 
Luther as impious and heretical (1520). The bold reformer 
at once declared open war against the Papacy by appealing 
to a general council, and burning the bull of excommunica- 
tion in presence of a vast multitude at Wittenberg. 

41. All Germany was soon in a ferment. Frederick, 

* These indulgences were, in the early ages of the Church, remissions 
of the penances imposed upon persons whose sins had brought scandal 
on the community. But in process of time they were represented as 
actual pardons of guilt, and the purchaser of indulgence was said to be 
delivered from all his sins. 



A 



AGE OF CHARLES V. 321 



Duke of Saxony, was one of the first converts to the Ref- 
ormation, as the movement now began to be spread of the 
called. Other German princes took the same Reformation, 
side ; for indeed, as a Catholic historian has remarked, 
" Policy became more Lutheran than religious reform." 

42. Pope Leo X. was now roused to the importance of 
doing something to arrest the spread of the The Diet of 
new doctrines, and soon after Charles V.'s Worms, 
election as emperor, the Pope appealed to him to take 
the matter in hand. Accordingly, when, soon after his 
election, the young Emperor removed from Spain to Ger- 
many, he summoned an assembly, or Diet, of the German 
princes at the city of Worms. Luther was cited to appear 
before the Diet of Worms in 152 1. Being called on to 
retract, he refused to do so ; and though he was dismissed 
under " safe-conduct " from the Emperor, yet Charles V. 
promised to "use all endeavors to extirpate the heresy." 

43. Nevertheless, the new doctrines rapidly spread, and 
under various forms took deep root in Ger ^^^^j^ 
many, France, Switzerland, England, Scotland, 

and Scandinavia. The result may be thus stated : allowing 
for considerable exceptions, the nations of Teutonic stock 
embraced the new doctrines, while most of the Latin race 
adhered to the faith of Rome. 

44. An attempt was made to check the movement by the 
Diet of Spires, 1529; for by this assemblage ^^^jf^VroJes^- 
a decree was promulgated forbidding any tant. 
change until the meeting of a general council. Luther's 
friends and followers protested against this decree, and 
hence the professors of the reformed religion received the 
common name of Protestants. 

45. We now turn to the other and political events of the 
age of Charles V., namely, the complications Rivalry with 
with Francis L of France. This bitter rivalry Francis i. 
led to four wars, in each of which the avowed object of 

14* u 



322 MODERN HISTORY. 

Francis was to preserve the balance of power, as against 
the menacing greatness of the House of Austria, repre- 
sented by Charles V. 

46. In the first war, which was mainly an Italian war. 
Events of the the decisive action was the battle of Pavi'a, 
first war. 1525. Here the imperial forces shattered 
the French power in Italy ; and Francis himself was 
taken prisoner and conveyed to Madrid, where he lay a 
year in prison. At the end of that time he was released by 
Charles on the promise that he would give up the Duchy 
of Burgundy, renounce all his pretensions to Italian terri- 
tory, and surrender his two sons as hostages. 

47. Francis had made the stipulations mentioned, with- 

out ever intendino: to keep them : the result 

Second war. .... .... , 

was, that hostilities were immediately renewed, 
and the second war (1527 -1529) began. This time Henry 
VIII. of England sided with Francis, who was also sup- 
ported by the Pope. The French army entered Italy, 
but was there repeatedly defeated. This inclined Francis 
to peace ; and as at the same time the Emperor was anx- 
ious to suppress the Reformation in Germany, a treaty was 
made in 1529 (Treaty of Cambray), the terms of which 
were quite unfavorable to Francis I. 

48. The third war began in 1535, but in three years 
Third and ^oth parties were exhausted ; so by the 
fourth wars, mediation of the Pope they concluded in 
1538 a truce that was to last for ten years. Before the 
time of truce had half expired, hostilities were renewed, 
and the fourth war commenced. A strange alliance it was 
that Francis now formed ; for Solyman, Sultan of Turkey, 
together with some of the Protestant princes of Germany, 
united with the French against Charles V., who was aided 
by Henry VIII. of England. The French king won a 
victory over the Emperor at Cerisoles ; but this did not 
prevent the invasion of France both from England and 



AGE OF CHARLES V. 323 

from Spain. However, the Emperor and the English 
monarch did not act in concert, and accordingly Francis 
concluded a peace with Charles at Crespy in 1544. Three 
years after this, 1547, the Emperor's two great royal con- 
temporaries, Francis I. and Henry VHL, died. 

49. At this time Charles V. became engaged in a 
contest with the Protestant princes of Ger- war with the 
many, who had formed a league for their prince^s.^" 
mutual protection at Smalcald, in 153 1. A great council, 
called the Council of Tre?i/, was convened against Prot- 
estantism in 1545. At the very commencement of the 
war, Maurice of Saxony, one of the leading Protestant 
princes, deserted the league and went over to the cause 
of the Emperor. The result was that the Protestant 
League was soon thoroughly broken up. 

50. The triumph of the Emperor seemed now to be 
complete. Encouraged by this, Charles V. Defection of 
became thoroughly tyrannical. But his over- Maurice, 
bearing course excited the animosity as well of the Catholic 
as of the Protestant princes of Germany. Maurice of 
Saxony, to whom he had owed his recent successes, and 
who was throughout a Protestant at heart, deserted the 
Emperor, joined the Protestant leaders, and formed a bold 
plan for compelling the Emperor to establish religious 
freedom. He formed an alliance with Henry II. of France 
(son and successor of Francis I.), and proclaimed war 
against the Emperor, 1552. 

51. The Emperor's reverses in Germany were as rapid as 
had been his success, and he was compelled Triumph of 
to sign a treaty at Passau (1552) by which Protestantism, 
the free exercise of their religion was secured to the 
Protestants. Three years later (1555) the principles of 
mutual toleration were formally sanctioned by the Diet 
of Augsburg. Thus the Reformation gained its first 
decisive political triumph in Germany. 



324 MODERN HISTORY. 

52. And now the clouds thickened fast around the 
The Emperor's Empeior. The SOU of his now dead rival, 
troubles. Francis L, had taken up, as a legacy, the long- 
standing quarrel, and was vigorously assailing the imperial 
power ; while the Pope, angered at the Emperor's sanction 
of the principles of toleration at the Diet of Augsburg, 
became the avowed enemy of the House of Austria, and 
entered into close alliance with the king of France. 

53. In this state of affairs Charles V. took a strange 
His abdication rcsolvc : he determined to lay aside his 
and death. crowus. Accordingly, in 1556 he resigned 
the scepter of Spain and the Two Sicilies to his son, 
Philip IL, and the imperial crown to his brother Ferdi- 
nand : he then retired to the monastery of San Yuste 
\yoos!ta\^ in Spain, being resolved there to end his days. 
In the solitude of the convent he divided his time be- 
tween religious duties and the making of mechanical con- 
trivances. Towards his latter end he conceived the ghastly 
fancy of having his own funeral rehearsed. This theatri- 
cal display was the forerunner of the dread real tragedy 
itself; for death overtook the Emperor in 1558. 

54. In summing up the character of Charles V., we 
Character of '^^'^^ Say that he was free from many of the 

Charles V. 

virtues were rather negative than 

positive, and seem to have been the 

result of his temperament, which was 

cold. He spoke but little, and a 

laugh or smile was rarely seen upon .,^^^^^^V^^V 

his face. In some respects he was a 

man of comprehensive views ; yet his 

ambition was selfish, looking mainly 

to the aggrandizement of the House 

of Austria. He had great successes 

in his time : but in the end he was doomed to see all his 



vices of his kingly contemporaries. Yet his 




ENGLAND UNDER HENRY VIII. 325 

plans fail. Nor is the cause of this failure difficult to find : 
he did not comprehend his times. He stands to us as the 
last champion and the last support of the Middle Ages ; 
but the Middle Ages had passed away, — a new era had 
been ushered in by the new intellectual and religious 
movement, and the advance of the modern spirit was not 
to be checked even by the sovereign of Spain and the 
Indies. 

2. ENGLAND UNDER HENRY VIII. 

55. In the year 1509 Henry VII., the first of the 
Tudor line of English sovereigns, died, leav- Events at the 
ing as heir to the throne a son, who is known accession. 

to history as Henry VIII. The young king, at this time 
eighteen years of age, was handsome, lively, accomplished, 
and learned. Soon after his accession he married Katlv 
arine of Aragon, widow of his brother Arthur, and aunt of 
Charles V. of Spain. 

56. The king soon became mixed up with continental 
politics, into which he was drawn by the fact England's for- 
that the two great sovereigns of France and ^*s" relations. 
Spain who were his contemporaries, namely, Charles V. and 
Francis I., both sought his alliance in their wars. Henry 
was generally on the side of the Emperor, and he more 
than once invaded France ; but in truth nothing very great 
was done by England on the Continent, and altogether the 
most important events of Henry VIII.'s reign were con- 
nected with matters that happened at home. 

57. During the first twenty years of this reign the most 
notable fio^ure in political affairs was the cele- Greatness of 

1 1 ^ ,• , Tw t Txr , , Cardinal Wol- 

brated Cardinal Wolsey. Wolsey was the son sey. 
of a butcher ; but displaying while young great quick- 
ness and intelligence, he received a learned education 
with a view to his entering the Church. His first employ- 
ment at court was in the humble office of chaplain ; but 



326 MODERN UlStOkY. 

beccxining acquainted with the young monarch, he soon 
grew to be a great favorite. He was made Archbishop 
of York, then High Chancellor of England, and finally 
became Henry's sole minister. 

58. It was in the early part of this reign that the 
The king and doctrines of Luther began to make a great 
the Church. g^j,. jj^ Europc. (Henry's accession, 1509; 
Luther before the Diet of Worms, 1521.) At this time 
the English people were ardently Roman Catholic in 
faith, and Henry VHL distinguished himself by writing 
a book against the Lutheran doctrines. The Pope was 
so much pleased with the production, that he gave the 
English king the title of Defender of the Faith. How- 
ever, Henry was not destined to continue long an ad- 
herent of the Roman Pontiff, and we are now to see the 
circumstances under which the great schism arose. 

59. After Henry VHT. had lived eighteen years with 

Beginning of his first wlfc, Katharine of Aragon, he pro- 
Henry's wife- ' . . 1 
troubles. fessed to feel conscientious scruples respect- 
ing the lawfulness of the marriage, on account of her hav- 
ing been the wife of his brother. About the same time he 
became enamored of the beautiful and fascinating Anne 
Boleyn \bdoVw\ one of the queen's attendants. Me now 
conceived the design of annulling his marriage with Katha- 
rine and inarr)nng this younger and more agreeable person. 
To this end he applied to the Pope for a divorce. 

60. The Pontiff (Clement VII.) was much perplexed by 
The Pope and ^^^^^ lequest of Henry ; for he could not accede 
Woisey. ^^ jj ^vjthout olTendlng Charles V., one of his 
best supporters and the nephew of Queen Katharine. The 
process went on for several years, but without reaching the 
conclusion desired by the king. Woisey at length fell 
under the king's displeasure for not acting with sufficient 
zeal in the matter ; he Avas stripped of all his places of 
power and wealth, and, sinking under grief and morlifica- 



ENGLAND UNDER HENRY VIII. 327 

tion, he died in 1530. In his last moments he is said to 
liave exclaimed to his attendant, " Had I but served my 
God as diligently as 1 have served my king, he would not 
have given me over in my gray hairs." ^ 

61. 'J'he negotiations with the Pope for the divorce went 
on for two years longer, and endless tricks and Henry's deci- 
subterfuges were resorted to by both parties. *'^* ''^^p- 

At last in January, 1533, Henry took the final step 
from which there was no retreat, — he secretly married 
Anne lioleyn ; and as, soon afterwards, the marriage with 
Katharine was declared invalid by the Archbishop of Can- 
terbury, Henry's private union witli Anne lioleyn was 
acknowledged, and on the ist (^f June, 1533, she was 
crowned queen, with imposing splend(jr. In the same year 
was born their celebrated daughter I'^Hzabeth. 

62. History has pronounced a severe verdict on Henry 
VHI. for his conduct in divorcing (^ueen vcrdict on his 
Katharine. And there is no doubt that in conduct., 
many respects it deserves condemnation. But recent histo- 
rians, and especially Froude in his " History of England," 
have endeavored to free the king from a considerable part 
of the burden of blame. His defenders call attention to 
the fact that Henry VHI. was moved by a public motive; 
to wit, the fear of civil war likely to break out, after his 
death, on the question of disputed succession, owing to the 
fact that he had no living son and heir by Katharine. It is 
further urged that on this account the divorce was warmly 
desired by the great body of the English nation. 

* Shakcsj)eare weaves this sentiment into the touching soliloquy of 
the Cardinal in the drama of Henry VIII. 

" O Cromwell, Cromwell, 
Ifad I but served my Ood with half the zeal 
I served my king, he would not in mine age 
Have left me naked to mine enemies." 

Htnry VIII., Act iii. Scene 2. 



328 MODERN HISTORY. 

63. As regards the relations of the English people to the 
The English CathoHc Church, all that had been done thus 
and the Pope. £^j. ^^5 ^^ declare that the Pope had no juris- 
diction in England. There was no thought of secession 
from the unity of the Catholic faith, and this fact Parlia- 
ment in 1534 took pains to declare. Nevertheless, events 
soon led to a considerable widening of the breach. Thus 
in this same year, 1534, the Pope declared King Henry 
VIII. to be excommunicated from the fellowship of the 
Church, and to have forfeited the allegiance of his subjects. 

64. The English king now concluded that there was 
What Henry nothing left but to meet defiance with defiance, 
now did. Accordingly the Pope's authority in England 
was declared to be abolished, and all persons were required 
to take an oath of allegiance, which pronounced the mar- 
riage with Katharine illegal, and the children by Anne 
Boleyn the only rightful heirs. In addition, Parliament in 
1534 passed an act declaring the king to be the Supreme 
Head of the Church of England, and all who denied him 
this title were to be held guilty of high treason. 

65. This led to some terrible acts of persecution against 
Persecution Catholics, whosc conscicnccs forbade their 
of Catholics. acknowledgment that the king was the head of 
the Church. First a number of humble friars were put to 
death. Then came nobler victims, — the venerable Bishop 
Fisher, and the illustrious Sir Thomas More, who had been 
Lord Chancellor after the disgrace of Wolsey, and who was 
acknowledged to be the most learned and eloquent man in 
England. 

66. The happiness which the king had expected to find 
Fate of Anne ^itli Anne Bolcyn was destined to be of brief 
Boleyn. duration. In less than three years after the 
marriage, charges of gross misconduct were brought against 
her; she was brought to trial before a high court, and, 
being found guilty, was condemned and beheaded, 1536. 



ENGLAND UNDER HENRY VI 11. 329 

67. Hitherto, though professing independence of the 
Church of Rome, Henry still maintained and changes in re- 
enforced by bloody laws most of its doctrines. ^'S'°"- 
Now, however, he took measures for altering the system of 
worship to something nearer the Lutheran model, and also 
for suppressing the numerous monasteries throughout the 
country. As many as 645 monasteries, 2374 chantries and 
chapels, 90 colleges, and no hospitals were broken up by this 
powerful but unscrupulous monarch. He partly seized the 
revenues for his own use, and partly gave them away to the 
persons who most actively assisted him. In the mean time 
it was difficult to tell what the state religion really was ; 
for if not Catholicity, it was also not Protestantism. And, 
indeed, for many years Henry vacillated so much in his 
opinions, and enforced them with such severe enactments, 
that many persons of both religions were burnt as heretics. 

68. The day after the execution of Anne Boleyn, the 
king married Jane Seymour ; but in the follow- Henry's sub- 
ing year she died, and Henry then married riages. 
Anne of Cleves, a German princess. He was not pleased 
with her person, however; so he divorced her by an act of 
Parliament. Next he married Catherine Howard (1540), 
but had not been long united to her when he discovered 
that she had been guilty of evil conduct both before and 
since her marriage. The unfortunate woman was beheaded. 
To close this tragic business of Henry's marriages, it may 
be added that he took for his sixth wife Catherine Parr, 
widow of Lord Latimer (1542). She seems to have been a 
person of great discretion, who knew how to humor her 
arbitrary lord, and she survived the king, whose death took 
place five years afterwards. 

69. Henry VIH. died in 1547, being in his fift^^-sixth 
year. The common verdict which has been Common ver- 
pronounced on him by historians is that he viii°" ^^^^ 
was a remorseless tyrant. " If all the pictures and patterns 



330 MODERN HISTORY. 

of a merciless prince," says Sir Walter Raleigh, " were lost 
in the world, they might all again be painted to the life out 
of the story of this king." " Perhaps no other monarch 
since the emancipation of woman from polygamy," says 
Mackintosh, " has put to death two wives on the scaffold, 
divorced another whom he owned to be faultless after 
twenty-four years of wedded friendship, and rejected a 
fourth, without imputing blame to her, from the first im- 
pulse of personal distrust." 

70. In recent times a tendency to modify the rigor of 
Milder judg- ^liis judgment has shown itself. It is urged * 
ments. ^^X an examination of contemporary history 
shows that for some of his arbitrary and seemingly cruel 
acts he had proper justification, and that many other meas- 
ures which we must regard as reprehensible were forced 
upon him by the necessities of the difficult and perilous 
times in which he and England found themselves. 

71. Though Henry VIII. ruled with a strong hand, his 
Benefits of his r^ign was uot Unfavorable to the progress of 
reign. liberty. He first made Parliament a real 
power; and though that body was servile in doing his 
bidding, yet it then learned its strength 
and established precedents that were 
afterwards used to humble the inso- 
lence of kings. Though he struck at 
the high heads, he favored the common- 
alty: the taxes were light, the govern- 
ment was energetic, and the people 
were contented and well to do ; so that, 
in spite of his faults, his follies, and his 

crimes, his reign tended, under Divine Providence, to the 
prosperity and glory of England. 

* See Froude's History of England. 




RISE OF THE DUTCH REPUBLIC. 331 



3. RISE OF THE DUTCH REPUBLIC. 

72. The name of the Netherlands is at present given 
only to the kingdom of Holland. In the i6th Extent of the 
century, however, that name denoted a cluster Netherlands, 
of provinces extending from the Zuyder Zee and the DoUart 
to the northern frontiers of France, and forming that tract 
of fertile and alluvial land which is at present occupied by 
the two kingdoms of Holland and Belgium. These prov- 
inces were a part of the extensive dominion which the Em- 
peror Charles V., on his abdication in 1556, resigned into 
the hands of his son, Philip H., King of Spain. 

73. At this period the Netherlanders had by industry and 
intelligence attained a high degree of prosper- spirit of the 
ity. They were the boldest navigators and the P^op^e. 
most skillful manufacturers in Europe. They were ardent 
lovers of civil liberty, and they were now eagerly embracing 
the principles of the Reformation. 

74. This last fact was very offensive to Philip H. The 
religious zeal of Charles V. had, in passing character of 
into the gloomy character of his son, taken the p^'^'P- 
form of a dark fanaticism. He was a silent, plotting, pa- 
tient man, and, sitting in his palace of the Escurial, he wove 
his webs of political intrigue. And now, above all, his 
somber soul brooded on how the heresy that had spread 
into the Low Countries might be rooted out, for he saw that 
if this were not done, a separation between the Nether- 
lands and the power of Spain was inevitable. 

75. It was soon discovered that the king had resolved 
to carry on the government in his own way. The quarrel 
and independently of the will of the country as ^^g^"^. 
expressed by the council of nobles. The next step was the 
introduction of the terrors of the Inquisition. The people 
rose in a species of frenzy, and within four days no less than 
four hundred churches, with everything they contained, were 



112 MODERN HISTORY 



destroyed. This riotous outrage infuriated the king, and 
accordingly he sent the Duke of Alva, a relentless soldier, 
with a large force to crush the insurrection, 1567. Then 
followed five years of dreadful work. The Duke of Alva, 
at the head of the famous " Blood Council," seized, impris- 
oned, and beheaded ; and in six months he had passed a 
sentence of death upon every inhabitant of the country ! 

76. In this sad situation the man to whom the Nether- 
wmfam'i'f'^^" ^^nders looked for deliverance was William of 
Orange. Nassau, Princc of Orange, and known in his- 

tory as William the Silent. He was a Protestant, and now 
took up the cause of the people. He led an army out of 
Germany into the Netherlands ; but as the Spaniards held 
all the fortified towns, he could for a time accomplish very 
litde. The capture of Brille (1572) was the first success. 
Then the people of the province of Holland, under the 
Prince of Orange, cast off the Spanish yoke. The province 
of Zealand followed. Various towns were taken, and the 
gallant defense of Harlem convinced Alva of the inability 
of strong measures. He accordingly asked to be recalled, 
1573. 

77. Alva was succeeded by Requesens, commander of 
Progress of Castilc, a man of mild disposition. The war 
the war. g^-jj ^^^^^^ ^^ r^^^ defense of Leyden (1574), 
which was saved by cutting the dikes and flooding the 
Spanish trenches, was a great blow to the pride and power 
of the Spaniards. But they proved too powerful for the 
two revolted provinces. Then the Dutch in their despair 
offered the sovereignt}^ of their country to Elizabeth of 
England, but the virgin queen, though a Protestant, did 
not then wish to interfere. The war raged as fiercely as 
ever. 

78. Meanwhile Requesens died ; and the Spanish garri 
fe'l^th^^f wn! ^^^ committed such atrocities at Antwerp that 
liam. all the provinces entered into a union called 



/^ISE OF THE DUTCH REPUBLIC. 333 

the PjC'ficaiio?i of Ghent (1576), William of Orange being 
chosen chief magistrate, with the title of Stadtholder. The 
struggling Dutch were able to confirm their constitution in 
1579, when the Union of Utrecht formed the seven north- 
ern provinces into the Dutch Republic, under the presi- 
dency of William. 

79. Philip 11. had set a reward on the head of the Prince 
of Orancre, and the da^^irer of an assassin de- Assassination 

, ^ ' *^. , , , . . of William, and 

prived the states of their able and patriotic the sequel. 
leader. Their gratitude made them appoint his son Mau- 
rice, a youth of eighteen, in his stead. He proved himself 
a valiant captain in the war with Spain, which continued to 
rage in the southern provinces. The Spanish general, the 
Duke of Parma, took Antwerp, which was a great blow 
to the states. Elizabeth now resolved to aid the Dutch. 
The Earl of Leicester accordingly was sent with an English 
force of 6000 men to Zutphen, near which the heroic Sid- 
ney received his mortal wound. 

80. The bitter contest continued for several years yet. 
Towns were taken on both sides. The pa- stubbornness 
tience of the Netherlanders, however, sustained °^ ^^^ Dutch, 
them through all their trials, and finally the Spanish com- 
mander give it as his opinion that the subjugation of the 
United Provinces was impracticable. The pride of Spain 
was reduced to treat with the Dutch as an independent 
nation, and under the mediation of France and England 
a truce for ten years was made, 1609. 

81. Thus, after a severe struggle of thirty-seven years, 
the independence of the Dutch Republic was 

11 1 • -11 1 7-. r Summing up. 

secured, though it was not till the Peace of 
Westphalia (1648) that this independence was acknowl- 
edged by Spain, During the conflict the Dutch had in- 
creased in wealth, had made extensive acquisitions in the 
East Indies, and had established the most powerful navy 
in Europe. 



334 MODERN HISTORY. 

4. CIVIL AND RELIGIOUS WARS OF FRANCE. 

82. The history of France during the latter half of the 
Subject of the i6th century is mainly taken up with a series 
chapter. q£ ^j^-| ^^^ religious wars between the Catho- 
lics and Protestants within the country. 

Connecting Note. — On the death of Francis I. (1547), the crown 
passed to his 9on, Henry II., who was married to Catherine de Medicis, 
a wily and artful Italian. After a reign of twelve years (1547- 1559) 
he met his death accidentally at a tournament held in honor of the 
marriage of his son Francis with Mary Queen of Scots. This son, a 
sickly boy of sixteen, now ascended the throne under the title of Francis 
II. The guardians of the feeble sovereign and managers of the Court 
were the two brothers Guise, — Francis the general, and the Cardinal 
of Lorraine, uncles of the fair young queen. The nominal sovereignty 
under Francis II. lasted only seventeen months ; for at the end of that 
time he died, and his young widow, Mary Queen of Scots, sighing a sad 
farewell 'to beautiful France, sailed back to Scotland. Two other sons 
besides Francis were left by Henry II. The eldest, Charles IX., was 
now but nine years old ; so the queen-mother, Catherine de Medicis, 
claimed the custody of her son, and became in fact, if not in name, 
regent of the kingdom. This brings the train of events up to the epoch 
at which begins a direful series of civil and religious wars. 

83. Protestantism had taken root in France ; but the 
Form of French French Protcstauts were followers, not of 
Protestantism. Luther, but of Johu Calviu, a Frenchman by 
birth, who had settled at Geneva. His teaching was a 
greater departure from the doctrines of the Roman Church 
than was that of Luther. The followers of Calvin grew to 
be very numerous in France, where they were known by 
the name of Huguefiots* The Huguenots were cruelly 
persecuted by Francis I., in whose reign they first came into 
notice, as they were also by his successor Henry II., and 
by his successor, Francis II. 

* The name "Huguenot" is a corruption of the German word " Eid- 
genossen," that is, persons associated by oath, — '* Covenanters " 



CIVIL AND RELIGIOUS WARS OF FRANCE 335 

84. These persecutions were the underlying cause of a 
series of wars which began in France in Nature of the 
1562. It should be noted, however, that these ^^" ^^z^^- 
wars were quite as much political as religious ; for, so far as 
the great actors were concerned, it was personal ambition 
fully as much as religious zeal that animated them. We 
must, accoidingly, guard carefully against misinterpreting 
the nature of this contest. For there were few on either 
side that cared for the things in whose name they fought ; 
while on both sides the most frightful crimes were com-' 
mitted in the name of religion. 

85. During the brief reign of the feeble Francis II. the 
all-powerful Guises, together with Catherine Antagonism 
de Medicis, governed the country. This fact °^ *^^ leaders, 
excited the anger and jealousy of the Princes de Bourbon, 
who were of the blood royal, and claimed a direct descent 
from Saint Louis. One of these princes, Antoine de Bour- 
bon, enjoyed the title of King of Navarre ; another occu- 
pied the principality of Conde. These nobles, being 
excluded from all court influence, formed an opposition 
party to the Guises. The Prince of Conde embraced the 
Reformed religion and became a Huguenot, and his ex- 
ample was followed by Admiral Coligny SJzol-len-ye''\ and 
other powerful persons. The partisans of the opposing fac- 
tions arranged themselves on the one side or on the other. 

86. In 1562 an event happened which precipitated 
France into civil war. The Duke of Guise, Events of the 
passing through the little town of Vassy in ^^'"• 
Champagne, found some Protestants singing hymns in a 
barn : his attendants insulted them ; blows were given and 
returned, and sixty of the Protestants were killed. This 
kindled the flame. For a year there was war, or rather 
mutual massacre. The contest went on till the following 
year, 1563, when hostilities were brought to a close by a 
treaty; but this was soon broken, and between 1567 and 



336 MODERN HISTORY. 

1570 the whole period was a continuous war, interrupted 
only by short and unsteady truces. The Treaty of St. 
Germai?i (1570) put an end to the contest, 

87. In the latter part of the contest the chief part on 
Settlement by the Reformed side had been taken by the 
marriage. young Hcury of Bourbon, King of Navarre, 
who was next heir to the crown of France after the sons of 
Henry II. To cement the peace a marriage was proposed 
between the young king of Navarre and the Princess 
Margaret, the beautiful sister of the king of France. The 
proposal diffused universal joy, and both the Catholics and 
the Protestants came to witness the nuptials, which were 
celebrated on the i8th of August, 1572. 

88. The events which led to the fearful tragedy that ac- 
Word of cau- companicd this marriage have been so misrep- 
*^°"* resented by party writers on every side, that 
it is desirable to state the facts as they have been narrated 
by the principal actors themselves.* 

89. Charles IX., feeble in body and weak in intellect, 
Plots and 1"^^^ just attained his legal majority, but the 
counterplots, j-g^j power of the state was wielded by Cathe- 
rine de Medicis. In some of his conversations with the 
Protestant lords Charles complained very bitterly of the 
state of thraldom in which he was held, and Coligny, com- 
miserating the unhappy monarch, promised to aid in his 
deliverance. The king soon began to vaunt of his design 
to assume the reins of power and to remove his mother and 
brother from the court. They took the alarm, and easily 
discovering by whose counsels the king was influenced, re- 
solved to assassinate the Admiral Coligny. The attempt 
was made, but failed. When the Huguenot leaders discov- 
ered the real instigators of the plot, they very imprudently 
proclaimed their intention to exact heavy vengeance upon 
Catherine and her favorite son Henry. 

* The following account is based mainly on the narrative ofTayler. 



CIVIL AND RELIGIOUS WARS OF FRANCE. 337 

90. In this emergency Catherine convoked a secret 
council of her friends, and there it was re- Preparations 
solved to strike, on the eve of St. Bartholomew, edy. ^ ^^^' 
a blow that would effectually crush the Huguenot party. 
Late in the evening of August 23d Catherine went to 
Charles IX., accompanied by her chosen advisers, and told 
him that the Protestants had formed a plan for the extermi- 
nation of the royal family, which could be frustrated only 
by the most immediate and decisive measures. The feeble 
monarch, who was not many degrees removed from idiocy, 
exhibited every sign of helpless alarm : whilst in this condi- 
tion his mother placed before him the dreadful decree of 
extermination, and demanded his signature. Charles at 
first refused, and for some time it was doubtful whether his 
consent would be obtained. At length he exclaimed, " I 
consent, provided that you kill them all, and leave no sur- 
vivor to reproach me." 

91. On the night of August 23 - 24 the dreadful tragedy 
known as the Massacre of St. Bartholomew Bartholomew's 
began. The tocsin was sounded at two in the ^^^• 
morning. All had been arranged beforehand, and the 
participants carried a scarf on the left arm and a white 
cross in the hat, for better distinction. Death reigned 
throughout Paris ; the Huguenots rushed out of their houses 
half naked at the sound of the tocsin and the cries of their 
brethren, and were slaughtered in the streets. Coligny 
was one of the first victims ; but Henry of Navarre saved 
his life from the personal fury of the king by promising to 
go to mass. After three days of direful destruction there 
fell a dead silence upon the streets of Paris, — there was 
nobody left to slaughter. Ten thousand victims are said to 
have fallen in the city. Royal orders were then forwarded 
through the provinces for the renewal of the massacre, and 
forty-five thousand more victims were sacrificed. 

92. Queen Catherine and her son had anticipated as the 

15 V 



338 MODERN HISTORY. 

result of this blow a reign of submission and the termina- 
Conductofthe tion of the clvil wars. But they were deceived. 
Huguenots. -pj^g Huguenots, Utterly desperate, flew to arms : 
the war broke out with greater fury than before, and it was 
terminated only after a year of bloodshed. 

93. Less than two years after the fatal night of St. Bar- 
France under tholomew, Charles IX. died at the age of twen- 
Henry HI. ty-four ( 15 74). His brother, the third son of 
Catherine de Medicis, now came to the throne with the title 
of Henry III. During his reign of fifteen years France 
was in a frightful state of anarchy, confusion, and bloodshed, 
and in 1589 Henry III. died by the hand of an assassin. 
With him the House of Valois, which had ruled in France 
during more than two centuries and a half, became extinct. 

94. The crown now came of right to Henry of Navarre, 
Henry of Na- and indeed Henry III. had before his death 

varre wins ...... . . _,, 

the crown. recognizcd his right to the succession. But 
this prince, who now took the title of Henry IV. {Henri 
Qiiatre)^ had to fight for his throne. He won two signal 
victories over his enemies, at Arques \(irJz\ (1589) and at 
Ivry (1590), and three years later he removed all grounds 
of opposition by himself becoming a Catholic. 

95. Henry IV., the first king of the House of Bourbon, 
Settlement of was crowncd Kinff of France and Navarre, 

the religious ^ , 

disputes. 1594- His iirst carc was to terminate the re- 

ligious disputes ■.. hich had so long distracted the kingdom. 
For this purpose he in 1598 promulgated the celebrated 
Edict of Nantes.^ which re-established all the favors that 
had ever been granted to the Protestants by other princes.* 

* The Edict of Nantes allowed the Protestants the exercise^ of their 
worship ; it left open to them admission to all employments ; established 
in every parliament a chamber composed of mac;istrates of each relig- 
ion ; tolerated the general assemblies of the Reformers; authorized 
them to raise taxes among themselves for the benefit of their church; 
provided ministers for them ; and granted them fortified places of safety, 
the principal of which was Rochelle'. 



AGE OF QUEEN ELIZABETH. 339 

The Edict of Nantes put an end to the disastrous wars 
which for thirty-six years had desolated the kingdom. 

96. The administration of Henr}'^ IV. and of his saga- 
cious minister Sully was a blessing to France ; France under 
agriculture revived, commerce was restored, ^^"''y ^v. 
new branches of industry were opened, and vexatious im- 
posts abolished. The king became the most popular of 
sovereigns, and, despite some weaknesses of character, was 
unquestionably the most honorable and humane. 

97. The career of Henry IV. was ended in the year 
16 10 by the hand of an assassin. On the 

14th of May, as he was riding through the 
streets of Paris in his carriage, a fanatic named Ravaillac 
\rd-vah-yak'^ mounted on the wheel, removed the leather 
curtain, and reaching over stabbed the king with two blows, 
of which the second was instantly fatal. Such was the end 
of Henri Quatre, surnamed by some the Great, and by 
others the Father of his People. 

5. AGE OF QUEEN ELIZABETH. 

98. The reign of Queen Elizabeth is in every respect 
one of the greatest eras in English history. It character of 
was an age of wonderful activity both material *^^ ^^®- 
and intellectual, an age of great fullness of national life ; 
and this appeared in bold maritime enterprises, in deeds 
that gave England a proud pre-eminence in the politics of 
Europe, and in the most original and powerful literaiy crea- 
tions ever witnessed. 

99. Elizabeth was the daughter of Henry VIII. and 
Anne Boleyn. She came to the throne at the Genealogy of 
age of twenty-five, in the year 1558, that is, Elizabeth, 
eleven years after the death of her father. 

CoNNEcriNG Note. — The interval between Henry VIII. and Eliza- 
beth was filled by two brief reigns. 

I. Reign of Edward VI. lasted for six years (1547- 1553)- Edward, 



340 MODERN HISTORY. 

who was the son of Henry VIIT. by his third wife, Jane Seymour, was 
but ten years old when his father died ; so the government was placed 
in the hands of one of the great nobles, Somerset, named the Protector ; 
but Somerset was brought to the scaffold by another of the great lords, 
named Warwick Warwick married his son to the Lady Jane Grey, a 
beautiful and accomplished princess of the blood royal ; and when the 
young king Edward died at sixteen (1553), Warwick caused Lady Jane 
Grey to assume the crown. However, she can hardly be said to have 
worn it, for in ten days a stronger party set Mary, daughter of Henry 
V I H. by his first wife, Katharine of Aragon, on the throne. Mary caused 
Lady Jane Grey and her husband to be beheaded. 

2. Reign of Mary lasted for five years (1553 -1558). Under Edward 
the Protestant party had held sway in England ; but Mary, who was an 
ardent Catholic, caused all the laws in regard to Protestantism to be re- 
pealed, and many men were burned for their religion. The chief scene 
of these tragedies was Smithfield, in London. In order to strengthen 
herself against the Protestant interest, she married Philip H. of Spain, 
son of the Emperor Charles V. ; but the people, who detested the Span- 
ish alliance, took care that Philip should have no power in England, ■— 
and on the whole the result was to withdraw the English more and 
more from the Pope. With the death of Mary in 1558 came a new turn 
of affairs. 

100. From the peculiar circumstances of her birth, EHza- 
Views as to bcth's right of succession was denied by all the 
the succession. Catholics at homc and abroad. By the Cath- 
olic party in England the person looked upon as the legiti- 
mate sovereign was the then young, beautiful, and fasci- 
nating Mary Queen of Scots.* 

1 01. Under these circumstances Elizabeth deemed that 
her best course lay in restoring and maintaining the Prot- 

* Mary of Scotland was the daughter ,of James V. of Scotland, and 
grand-niece of Henry VHL This princess, celebrated in history as 
Mary Queen of Scots, had been brought up in the Catholic faith at the 
court of France. In 1559 (the year after that in which Elizabeth came to 
the throne) Mary was married to the Dauphin of France who, the next 
vear, by the death of his father, became king of France, under the title of 
Francis II. In the following year, however (1560), Francis H. died, and 
in 1 56 1 Mary returned to Scotland to assume the personal government 
of that countrv. 



AGE OF QUEEN ELIZABETH. 34 1 

estant religion in her own country, and in seeking to support 
it in all others where the people were favorable Elizabeth's 
to it. Accordingly, soon after her accession P°"cy- 
two celebrated acts — the Supremacy Bill and the Act of 
Uniformity — were passed for the purpose of crushing the 
political influence of Catholicism. By the Supremacy Bill 
all clergymen and all holding offices under the crown were 
compelled to take an oath ascribing to Elizabeth all power 
both in the Church and State of England, and abjuring the 
temporal and spiritual jurisdiction of any foreign prince or 
prelate; the Act of Uniformity prohibited any one from 
attending the ministry of any clergyman who was not of the 
established religion. These laws were enforced with great 
severity, and under them many Catholics suffered death. 

102. It was at this time that the Puritans arose in Eng- 
land. Many Protestants v/ho had fled to the Rise of Pun- 
Continent from the persecution under Mary, danism, 
returned on the accession of Elizabeth. For a time they 
reunited themselves with the Church of England ; but being 
pressed to acknowledge the authority of Elizabeth as Su- 
preme Head of the Church, they separated from that body 
in a few years. As they professed a desire to establish a 
purer form of worship, they received in derision the name 
of Puritans. As they refused also to be bound by the 
Acts of Supremacy and of Uniformity,* they were fined 
and imprisoned in great numbers during the rest of this 
reign. 

103. Mary Queen of Scots had in 1561 returned to Scot- 
land. After seven stormy years there she was The Queen of 
compelled to flee across the border (her in- ^'=°*^- 

fant son being proclaimed King of Scotland under the title 
of James VI. t), and came to implore the pity of Elizabeth. 

* From this fact the Puritans are often called iVonconformists. 
t James VT. of Scotland became, on the death of Elizabeth, King oi 
England, under the title of James I. See p. 350. 



342 MODERN HISTORY. 

The English queen imprisoned her in Bolton, Tutbury, and 
Fotheringay castles for eighteen years. 

104. During this time Elizabeth was constantly harassed 
Plots and by plots formed by her Catholic subjects in be- 
their result. |-^^|f ^f ^^ Queen of Scots. An act was passed 
declaring that any person by or for whom any plot should 
be made against the Queen of England should be guilty of 
treason. When, soon after, a gentleman named Babington 
formed a conspiracy for assassinating Elizabeth and placing 
Mary on the throne, the latter became liable to the punish- 
ment for treason. She was subjected to a formal trial in 
her prison of Fotheringay Castle, and found guilty. 

105. The warrant for her execution was delayed by the 
The death- rcluctancc — real or pretended — of Elizabeth, 
warrant. ^^ j^g^^ ^}^g quccn signed the warrant, and 
sent her secretary, Davidson, with it to the chancellor, that 
it might receive the great seal. Recalling this order next 
day, she found that she was too late : the seal was affixed, 
and the warrant was on the way to Fotheringay. There, 
in one of the castle halls, in the gray light of a February 
morning (1587), Mary Stuart, aged forty-five, was beheaded. 

106. The Catholic powers of the Continent formed many 

schemes for annoyinsr or dethroning Elizabeth, 

The Armada. , , ^ ,, , . , • • 

and these finally culminated in a great invasion 
by Spain. The Invincible Armada.^ the most formidable 
fleet ever seen up to that time, was fitted out against Eng- 
land. This armament consisted of 129 ships, 3000 can- 
non, and 20,000 men, while 34,000 additional land forces 
prepared to join from the Netherlands. 

107. In July, 1588, the Armada entered the English 
Account of Channel. Thirty vessels prepared to meet the 
the action. Spanish fleet. The command was taken by 
Lord Howard of Effingham. The English fleet attacked 
the Armada in the Channel, and was found to have a con- 
siderable advantage in the lightness and manageableness of 



ACE OF QUEEN ELIZABETH. 



343 



the vessels. After seven days, only three of which passed 
without warm actions, though there was no decisive engage- 
ment, the Spanish fleet was so harassed and damaged that 
it was forced to take shelter in the roads of Calais. The 
English during the night sent in fire-ships, which destroyed 
several vessels, and threw the others into such confusion 
that the Spaniards no longer thought of victory, but of es- 
cape. At daybreak they were attacked by Howard, Drake, 




The Armada. 

and Lord Henry Seymour, and though the Spaniards fought 
gallantly, they were completely at disadvantage ; in sea- 
manship and gun practice they were inferior to their adver- 
saries, and their great floating castles were no match for 
the active little English vessels. Had not the queen's ill- 
timed parsimony kept her fleet insufficiently supplied with 
powder, the Armada would have been destroyed. As it was, 
the Spanish leader, the Duke of Medina Sidonia, attempted 
to return home by sailing round the north of Scotland ; but 
dreadful storms arose, scattering the fleet about in the seas 
of Scotland and Ireland ; and of the triumphant navy that 
sailed from Lisbon but a third part returned in a wretched 
state to tell of the calamity. 

I08. This success was regarded as a triumph, not so 
much of England as of the Protestant cause Effect of the 
throughout Europe ; it virtually established the victory, 
independence of the Dutch, raised the courage of the Hu 



344 MODERN HISTORY. 

guenots in France, and completely destroyed the decisive 
influence that Spain had acquired in the affairs of Europe. 

109. The years following the defeat of the Armada 
England as- wcrc years of splendor and triumph. The 
cendant. fl^g Qf England became supreme on the seas ; 
English commerce penetrated to the farthest corners of the 
Old World, and English colonies rooted themselves on the 
shores of the New ; while the national intellect, stimulated 
by the excitement of sixty years, took shape in a literature 
which is an eternal possession to mankind.* 

110. At this time the chief articles exported from Eng- 
Commerce and 1^^^ to the Continent were wool, cloth, lead, 
manufactures. ^^^ ^^^^ Formerly these had been sent in 
vessels belonging to the Hanse Towns ; but now English 
ships were substituted for this trade. Birmingham and 
Sheffield were already thriving seats of the hardware man- 
ufacture, and Manchester was becoming distinguished for 
making cottons, rugs, and friezes. Stocking-weaving and 
the making of sail-cloth, serge, and baize, took their rise in 
this reign. The progress of other arts was much favored 
by the bloody persecutions in the Netherlands, which drove 
into England great numbers of weavers, dyers, cloth-dress- 
ers, etc. 

111. Amongst the wealthier classes the wearing of 
Increase of handsomc apparel, and of gold ornaments and 
luxury. jewelry, made a great advance. Coaches were 
introduced, but for a time were thought fit for the use only 
of ladies. Great improvements were made in the building 
of houses. Theatrical amusements were begun and became 
very popular, though only in London. The smoking of to- 
bacco was introduced by Sir Walter Raleigh, who became 
acquainted with the plant in "Virginia." 

112. During forty years of her reign Elizabeth was 
guided by the advice of Lord Burleigh, a wise and cool- 

* Froude, History of England, 



AGE OF QUEEN ELIZABETH. 345 

tempered statesman. He rose to be Lord Treasurer, and 
by his policy greatly increased the revenue of Elizabeth's 
the kingdom. Sir Francis Walsingham, too, ".inisters. 
as Secretary of State, enjoyed much of Elizabeth's favor. 

113. It is remarkable that while Elizabeth increased in 
power and resources, she became more noted ^^^ favorites. 
for feminine weaknesses. Her favorite in 

middle life was Robert, Earl of Leicester, a profligate 
and a trifler. In her latter days she listened to the ad- 
dresses of the Earl of Essex, a young man of greater 
courage and better principle, but also headstrong and weak. 
Essex, who had acquired popularity by several brilliant 
military enterprises, began at length to assume an in- 
solent superiority over the queen, who was on one occa- 
sion so much provoked by his rudeness as to give him a 
hearty box on the ear. Notwithstanding all his presump- 
tion and caprices, the queen still dotingly forgave him, 
until he at length attempted to raise an insurrection 
against her in the streets of London, when he was seized 
and condemned to die. He might still have been par- 
doned, if a ring given to him by the queen in some moment 
of tenderness, to be sent to her when any danger hung over 
him, had reached her. It never came, and Essex was be- 
headed in the Tower, aged thirty-four. 

114. Some two years later the queen was entreated to 
visit the Countess of Nottingham, who was story of 
dying. This lady confessed that Essex had Elizabeth, 
intrusted the ring to her to be carried to Elizabeth ; but 
that she, influenced by her husband, a bitter enemy of the 
earl, had not delivered it. Rage and grief seized the 
queen ; and it is said that she shook the dying countess in 
her bed. 

115. Never happy since the death of Essex, she sank 
imder this blow. Ten days and nights she ^^^ ^^^^^ 
lay on cushions on the floor, taking neither 



34^ 



MODERN HISTORY 



food nor medicine ; and then falling into a heavy sleep 

she died, March 24, 1603. She was in her seventieth year. 

116. In Elizabeth's reign of forty-five years England 

advanced politically and commerciallv from 

Her character. . . - ^ , , -' 

the position 01 a second-rate to that of a first- 
rate power. It follows that she was a sovereign of very 
remarkable ability. Yet her 
character was a strange blend- 
ing of the base and the noble, 
the weak and the strong. She 
bribed and bullied and de- 
ceived, and to the cruelty of a 
Tudor she added personal van- 
ity and insatiable fondness for 
flattery and admiration. Still 
she had royal traits, and the 
heart of a king, and all she did 
was for her country. Through- 
out her long and agitated reign her constant object was the 
glory of her realm, the establishment of a united and irre- 
sistible bulwark against foreign oppression and domestic 
disunion. The proud pre-eminence which England held 
before all Europe while Elizabeth grasped the scepter is 
the noblest epitaph on the Virgin Queen. 




The Virgin Queen. 



GREAT NAMES OF THE i6TB CENTURY. 



347 



GREAT NAMES OF THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY. 
ARTISTS. 

Michel Angelo (1475- 1564), an Italian sculptor, painter, and archi- 
tect. He flourished under the patronage of Lorenzo de Medici. His 
works are characterized by exceeding massiveness and grandeur. He 
superintended St. Peter's, but did not live to complete the dome. 

Raphael ( 1483 - 1520), an Italian painter of great distinction. Madonnas 
and sacred pieces chiefly employed his brush. His great work in 





Michel Angelo. 



Raphael. 



Rome was the decoration of the walls of the Vatican. After producing 
immortal works, he died at the age of thirty-seven. 

Titian (1477- 1576), a Venetian portrait and landscape painter. His 
chief works are at Venice and Madrid. By many he is considered the 
prince of colorists. 

Albert Diirer (1471 - 1528), a German painter, engraver, and sculptor. 
He is entitled the Father of German painting, and has certainly the 
pre-eminence. His best paintings are Christian Martyrs tn Persia, 
Adoration of the Holy Trinity, and other sacred subjects. 

Holbein (1498- I543)> next to Diirer the most distinguished of German 
artists. The greater part of his life was spent in England, under the 
patrwaage of Henry VI 1 1. He was celebrated for his portraits. 



WRITERS. 

Spenser, Edmund (i553-i599)» one of England's greatest poets. 
His chief work is the Faerie Queen, an allegorical poem, written in 
stanzas of nine lines each, called the Spenserian stanza. It is not now 
much read, for the diction is archaic, and the poem lacks anything like 
strong human interest ; but the Faerie Queen exhibits exquisite sweet- 
ness of language, pure and tender feeling, and fine imagination. 




348 MODERN HISTORY. 

William Shakespeare (1564- 1616), the greatest creative genius that 
ever lived. He was born at Stratford-on-Avon, where he lies buried. 
Removing, when a young man, to London, he 
became an actor, a manager of a theater, and 
a playwright. liis fame rests on his dramas, 
of which he wrote thirty-seven. Among the 
greatest are Macbeth^ J^i^g Lear, Hamlet, 
Othello, Midsummer A'ighfs Dream, The Tem- 
pest, The Merchant of Venice, Romeo and Ju- 
liet, and Julius Cczsar. Shakespeare has beea 
called the " Myriad-minded." Some authors 
may be said to equal him in a particular point, 
Shakespeare. y^^^ j^j^ vcvxw ever possessed his wonderful 

power of searching out and exhibiting the workings of the human heart. 
Sidney, Sir Philip (1554- 1586), a courtier of Queen Elizabeth, who 
called him the "jewel of her dominions." Though he did not write 
for publication, being a man of the court and the camp, he had a fine 
poetic temperament, and he produced two works that had a powerful 
influence on the intellectual spirit of his age. These were The Ar- 
cadia, a heroic romance, now but little read, and the Defense of Poesie, 
one of the earliest pieces of English criticism. 
Raleigh, Sir Walter (1552- 1618), also a courtier, a soldier, and an 
adventurer, and necessarily a man rather of deeds than of the pen, is 
known for one celebrated work, — his History of the World. Although 
of course superseded in matters of fact by later works, it is regarded 
as a model of style, and contains passages of lofty eloquence. He was 
also a poet of no mean ability, and a great friend of Spenser. Raleigh 
was a favorite of Queen Elizabeth ; but he incurred the displeasure of 
James I., and was beheaded on a groundless charge of treason. 
Cervantes (1547- 1616), a renowned Spanish writer. He led an ad- 
venturous life, even falling into the hands of pirates, and being sold 
into slavery. He wrote numerous plays and tales, but his immortal 
work is Don Quixote, one of the finest pieces of humor ever penned. 
Rabelais (1483 - 1553), a famous French satirist. He was a priest, 
and wrote a book called the Life of Gargantua and Pantagruel. It 
vividly illustrates the first half of the i6th century, but is immoral. 
Montaigne (1533- 1592), the ^liost lovable of French skeptics. He 
was a judge and mayor of Bordeaux ; but after the Bartholomew mas- 
sacre he retired from the court to the solitude of his own chateau. 
Here he jotted down the observations on life and manners which were 
afterwards published as his Essays. His motto was Que sais-je ? 
(What do I know ?) The Essays were early translated into English, 
and have been largely read ever since. 



GREAT NAMES OF THE \6TII CENTURY. 349 



Ariosto {1474- 1533), an Italian poet, whose great work was Orlando 
Eurioso. The Emperor Charles V. created him laureate. 

Tasso {1544- 1595), an Italian poet, who celebrated the First Crusade 
in beautiful lan^ uage in his Jerusalem Delivered. 

Camoens (1524- 1579), the only Tortuguese poet of European reputa- 
tion. His great poem is the Liisiad, which celebrates the chief actors 
in and events of Portuguese history. 

PHILOSOPHERS AND SCIENTISTS. 

Copernicus (i473-i545)> a celebrated German astronomer. He was 

the first to question the ancient 
theory of the heavens (called the 
Ptolemaic theory), which taught that 
the earth was the centre round which 
all the heavenly bodies revolved. 
This doctrine had remained unques- 
tioned for fifteen hundred years, 
when Copernicus demonstrated its 
falsity. He feared, however, to 
shock general belief by publishing 
his proof, and his great work, De 
Orbium Celesthnn Rez'olutionibus, was 
finally published by a cardinal, and 
dedicated to Pope Paul HI., himself 
a mathematician, — a politic step to secure himself from attack. 
Galileo (1564- 1642), a celebrated Italian astronomer. Pie adopted 
the Copernican system, and making use of the then recent invention 
of spectacle-glasses, he contrived a telescope with two such glasses in 
a leaden tube. By the aid of this instrument he discovered the satel- 
lites of Jupiter, the ring of Saturn, and the moonlike phases of Venus. 
Twice he was carried before the Court of Inquisition to renounce the 
theory of the earth's rotation, which he had put forth in his System 
of the World. He publicly recanted, to escape torture, but on rising 
from the ground is said to have exclaimed in an undertone : E pur si 
mtiove, — " It does move, for all that !"* 
Tycho-Brahe (1546- 1601), an astronomer of Copenhagen. Frederick 
II. of Denmark erected an observatory on the island of Huen, and 
there Tycho-Brahe was established for many years, making astronom- 
ical observations that were of great value. 

* It should be said that the letters of Galileo's daughter discredit this story. 




350 



MODERN HISTORY. 



The Stuarts. 



CHAPTER III. 

GREAT EVENTS OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY. 

f England under the Stuarts. 
TOPICS... J The Thirty Years' War. 
i The Age of Louis XIV. 

I. ENGLAND UNDER THE STUARTS. 

117. Elizabeth was the last of the Tudors. On her 
death, in 1603, James VI. of Scotland, son 
of Mary Queen of Scots, succeeded to the 

throne, and took the title of James I. of England.* With 
James I. begins the Stuart period of English history, — an 
eventful period, comprising six reigns and covering the 
whole of the 17th century, t 

118. The distinctive feature of this period is the arduous 
Stuarts and and continuous struo^de on the part of the 

Tudors con- , . ^^ ^ 

trasted. people agamst the arbitrary and unconstitu- 

tional government of the Stuart sovereigns. The Tudors 
had been despots, but they ruled with vigor and tact. The 
Stuarts, at least James I., the two Charleses, and James II., 
had none of the rugged sense of Henry VIII. and his great 
daughter Elizabeth ; — and, besides, times were changed, for 

* James VI. of Scotland was the nearest living lineal descendant of 
Henry VII. Strictly speaking, his claim to the crown was not perfect ; 
but Elizabeth on her death-bed declared as her will that her successor 
should be " her cousin of Scotland." 



t James I. (son of Mary 

Queen of Scots) 1603 

Charles I. (son) 1625 

[The Commonwealth and 

Cromwell] 1649 

Charles II. (son of Charles 

I) 1660 



James II. (brother) 1685 

William III. (nephew), and 

Mary 11. (daughter).... 1689 
Anne (daughter of James 

II.) 1702 



ENGLAND UNDER THE STUARTS. 35 1 

the English people had in the mean time been advancing 
greatly in intelligence, and consequently in the love of lib- 
erty. Blind to this significant fact, James I. no sooner came 
to the throne than he began to proclaim that the king, by 
Divine right to the crown, was above all laws. This is the 
famous Stuart doctrine of the " Divine Right of Kings," 
— on which doctrine James I. was almost crazed, and 
which he transmitted to his son, Charles I. 

119. In carrying out this policy he was guilty of the most^ 
arbitrary and illegal measures, — imprisoning ja^es and his 
members of Parliament, and raising money by Parliament, 
forced loans, Star-Chamber fines, and " benevolences." But 
Parliament gained some important advantages. They de- 
clared against monopolies and royal proclamations not au- 
thorized by Parliament ; they secured their right of impeach- 
ment and of deciding disputed elections ; and finally, when 
James told them they had no right to interfere in state affairs, 
they recorded the memorable protest that the " Liberties of 
Parliament are the undoubted birthright of the subjects of 
England ; that all matters of debate are fit subjects for dis- 
cussion there ; that every member has a right to freedom of 
speech ; and that no member can be lawfully imprisoned or 
molested for his conduct in Parliament, except by order of 
the House itself." 

120. The reign of James I. was not marked by what are 
usually called great events. This was owing characteristics 
to his timid character, which induced him to °*" ^^"'^ '■^'^"• 
maintain peace, at whatever sacrifice, throughout the greater 
part of his reign. On the other hand, it may be said that 
under the rule of this king the nation took greatly to trade 
and maritime enterprise, and increased rapidly in wealth 
and intelligence. 

121. James I. was an oddity in human character. His 
appearance was awkward, chiefly from the character of 
weakness of his knees. He was weak, obstinate, James i. 



352 MODERN HISTORY. 

and conceited. He made a great show of his learning, 
which was considerable, and he wrote several books ; but 
he was exceedingly pedantic. The French statesman. Sully, 
called him " the wisest fool in Europe," and the phrase ex- 
actly paints his character. 

12-2. The respect of the English people for royalty was 
Temper of "ot increased by the policy or character of 
Charles I. james I., and the folly of that king descended 

to his son, Charles I., who came to the throne at the age of 
twenty-five (1625). He had a higher notion than even his 
father of the " Divine Right of Kings to govern wrong." 

123. At the time of the accession of Charles I. a foolish 
with'^PariiJ- ^^^ ^^^^ Spain was going on. The Parlia- 
ment, ment having refused to grant the funds neces- 
sary for continuing it, the king raised money by illegal 
means. A general discontent spread over the nation. The 
Commons, seeing that, if the king could support the state 
by self-raised taxes, he would soon become independent of 
all control from his parliaments, resolved to take every 
measure in their power to check his proceedings. They 
also assailed him respecting a right, which he assumed, of 
imprisoning his subjects upon his own warrant and detain- 
ing them as long as he pleased. Having made an inquiry 
into the ancient powers of the crown, before these powers 
had been vitiated by the tyrannical Tudors, they embodied 
the result in what was called a Petition of Right. With great 
difficulty Charles was prevailed on to give his sanction to 
this bill (1628) • but soon afterwards his dispute with Par- 
liament ran to such a height that he dissolved it in a fit of 
indignation, resolving nevermore to call it together. 

124. For some years Charles governed the country en- 
Progress of tircly as an irresponsible despot, levying taxes 
despotism. ^y j^jg ^^j^ ordcrs, and imprisoning such per- 
sons as were obnoxious to him, in utter defiance of the 
Petition of Right. How long the English people would 



ENGLAND UNDER THE STUARTS. 353 

have borne the tyranny it is impossible to say : events 
soon occurred that precipitated a struggle. The Scots, 
whom Charles had roused to revolt by trying to force on 
them the liturgy of the Church of England, crossed the 
border in arms, and then it became necessary to summon 
Parliament. 

125. In 1640 the memorable assembly known in his- 
tory as the Lons: Parliament* came tOP:ether. Action of the 

r^-, , ^ 11 1 1 Long Parlia- 

They resolved to curb the royal power and ment. 
remove the grievances under which the nation had groaned 
for the past eleven years. The king himself at last saw 
that the torrent was irresistible, and resolved, though too 
late, to give way to it. By the Trietuiial Bill it was 
enacted that there should be a Parliament at least every 
three years. Strafford and Laud, who were blamed as the 
authors of the king's obstructive policy, were brought to 
the block. ,The court of " Star-Chamber " was abolished. 
Finally a bill was passed declaring that Parliament should 
not be dissolved without their own consent. 

126. By the month of November, 1641, all the abuses 
of which complaint had been made were re- The situation 
moved ; and as the king by his concessions *" ^^'*^- 

had gained many friends, it seemed that all the troubles 
were now at an end. But it is the nature of a revolutionary 
movement that it gains as it goes on. The leaders of the 
Opposition, still distrustful of the king's sincerity, resolved 
that they would have a guaranty for the future. They ac- 
cordingly passed in Parliament a measure called the Remon- 
strance^ setting forth all the faults of the king's government, 
and expressing the distrust with which his policy was still 
regarded. 

127. That the Radicals were right in their judgment of 
the temper of the king was soon made mani- The expi 
fest by a despotic act committed by him 



osion 
comes. ' 



* So called because it sat for more than thirteen years. 

w 



354 



MODERN HISTORY. 



Early in 1642 Charles, in order to overawe the refractory 
Commons, demanded the surrender of five of the most trou- 
blesome members on a charge of treason. They were not 
given up, and on the following day the king went to the 
House, accompanied by a considerable number of armed 
men, to seize them. They were, however, designedly ab- 
sent. This violation of the Constitution alarmed the Com- 
mons. There was great indignation against the king, for 
he had insulted the nation. He left the capital and went 
to York. 

128. For some months messages passed between the 
Steps towards ^ing and the Parliament ; but there was no 
civil war. desire to yield on either side. At last the Par- 
liament demanded that he should give up the command of the 
army. He refused, and Civil War became inevitable. 

129. On the side of the king were the nobles, the clergy, 
Cavaliers and and a majority of the country gentlemen. We 
Roundheads, j-^^^y ^^\\ ^j-^gge the Royalists ; but in that time 
they received the name of Cavaliers. On the side of Parlia- 
ment were the tradesmen and shopkeepers of the towns, the 
yeomanry, a considerable number of the country gentlemen, 
and a few of the nobility. Ihe Opposition, or Parliamenta- 
rians, were called in derision A'oiuid/ieads^ from the Puritan 
fashion of wearing closely cropped hair.* 

130. On the 25th of August, 1642, the royal standard 
General sketch was uufurlcd at Nottiup^ham. In the followinc: 

of the Civil , , . 1 , 

War. month the opening battle was fought at Edge- 

hill ; and, though indecisive, it enabled the king to approach 
London and produce considerable alarm. He then retired 
to Oxford, and negotiations were entered into which proved 
unavailing. From Edgehill (1642) to Colchester (1648) we 
may count six years of strife, and the names of the princi- 

* Perhaps we may regard the Whigs and Tories who sprang up )n 
England in the following century, as well as the Liberals and Conserva- 
tives of modern England, as in some respects the representatives of the 
principles of the Roundheads and Cavaliers respectively. 



ENGLAND UNDER THE STUARTS. 



355 



pal actions will be found in the note below.* During the 
first two campaigns the Royalists were generally success- 
ful ; but after that, and especially onward from Marston 
Moor, the Roundheads were victorious. 

131. The first leader on the side of the Roundheads was 
the Earl of Essex ; but a greater than he was First appear- 

, ^ , , ... . . ance of Crom- 

soon to appear. At EdgehiU a captani or well, 
horse named Oliver Cromwell had fought in the army of the 
Parliament. He was then about forty years of age (born 
1599), and had up to that time lived a peaceful country 
life in Huntingdon. As a member of the Long Parlia- 
ment he was known chiefly as a man of homely manners, 
slovenly dress, and rough-and-ready speech. 

132. Cromwell had been captain of a troop of horse at 
Edsrehill ; after that he became a colonel of cav- His advance- 

*=" ment and con- 

airy. He put his regiment under the severest duct. 

discipline, and soon Cromwell's "Ironsides" became famous- 



War 



The following table exhibits the leading battles of the Civil 

P. means Parliatnentarian ; R means Royalist. 



Edgehill.. 

Reading (siege) . . . 
Chalgrove Field . . 
Athertoon Moor . . 

Lansdowne 

Roundway Down . 
Bristol (siege). . . . 

1st Newbury 

Nantwich 

Cropredv Bridge . 
Marston Moor . . . 

2d Newbury 

Naseby 

Bridgewater (siege 
Bristol (siege) . . . . 

Pembroke 

Colchester 



1642 
1643 
1643 
1643 
1643 
1643 
1643 
1643 
1644 
1644 
1644 
1644 
1645 
1645 
1645 
1648 
1648 



RESULT. 



Indecisive, 
P. victory. 
R. " 
R. " 
R. " 
R 

R. " 
P. " 
P. " 
R. " 
P. " 
Indecisive. 
P. victory. 
P. " 
P. " 
P. 
P. " 



356 MODERN HISTORY, 

After tvvo or three years the army was remodeled ; and then, 
though Sir Thomas Fairf-ix was appointed commander-in- 
chief of the Parhamentary forces, yet the real captain was 
Cromwell, who received the rank of Lieutenant-General. 
Then was organized that army, — the most wonderful ever 
seen, and the very embodiment of Cromwell's own fer\'ent 
Puritan soul, — composed of stern, religious men, who prayed 
when they did not fight, and who, marching to battle with 
the singing of psalms, scattered like chaff the licentious and 
roistering Royalists. Naseby (1645) '^^'^s the decisive bat- 
tle of the war ; for there the king was so completely beaten 
that he and his party could no longer keep the field. 

133. Meantime the Puritans had become divided into 
The two Puri- two parties : the one, called Presbyterian^ and 
tan factions, consisting of the majority of Parliament, was 
desirous only of limiting the power of the king ; the other, 
called Independent^ and embracing the leaders of the army, 
was bent upon the destruction of the throne. Cromwell 
became the le:ider of the Independents. 

134. After the disaster of Naseby the king fled to the 
The king and Scots, who, howcvcr, gavc him up to Parlia- 
cromweii. vci^w^ ', but Cromwcll caused Charles to be 
seized and confined as a prisoner at Hampton Court. Much 
negotiation now went on between the king and the two par- 
ties, and indeed at one time a satisfactory arrangement was 
made between Charles and the Parliament for the settle- 
ment of all difficulties. This alarmed the leaders of th2 
army ; and under the direction of Cromwell measures were 
taken to clear the House of Commons of all members op- 
posed to their plans. For this purpose Colonel Pride, with 
an armed force, barred the door of the House of Commons, 
and thus prevented the entrance of more than a hundred 
members opposed to the army party (December, 1648). 
This high-handed act was called Pride's Purine. The re- 
maining fift}' or sixty members, all of whom were Indepen- 
dents, received the nickname of the " Rump." 



ENGLAND UNDER THE STUARTS. 357 

135. This remnant proceeded to nominate a High Court 
of Justice for the trial of King Charles. The Trial of the 
court sat in Westminster Hall, and Charles ^"^^• 

was brought to the bar January 20, 1649. '^^'^^ king en- 
tered a dignified protest against the right of the court to 
try him. This, however, availed him nothing ; lengthy evi- 
dence was given, and on the 27th he was condemned to 
execution as a " tyrant, traitor, murderer, and public enemy." 

136. The sentence was carried out January 30, in front 
of the banqueting-hall of Whitehall Palace. His execu- 
Soldiers surrounded the black scaffold, on ^^°"- 
which stood two masked headsmen beside the block. Even 
at the last moment, with " the ruling passion strong in 
death," the king declared that the people had no right to any 
part in the government. He then calmly placed his head on 
the block and gave the signal. One blow, and all was over ; 
and the executioner, raising the dripping head of Charles 
Stuart, cried out, " This is the head of a traitor ! " 

137. The execution of Charles, the first and only king 
of England that has died on the scaffold, was verdict on his 
utterly unconstitutional. The one right and execution, 
open course would have been to depose him, for he had 
violated his Coronation Oath. But this was not a time for 
calm measures, when the nation was in the throes of a revo- 
lution, and the king fell a victim to the spirit of the age, 
which he obstinately refused to understand. 

138. The Parliament now governed England, and estab- 
lished a republic under the title of The Com- The Common- 
MONWEALTH. It lastcd for eleven years, which ^eaith. 
years maybe divided into two periods: i. From Charles's 
death to the appointment of Cromwell as Lord Protector > 
2. The Protectorate of Cromwell. 

139. During the first period the executive power was in- 
trusted to forty-one members, but even under Events of the 
this arrangement Cromwell was the actual head. ^"^ p"'°**- 



358 MODERN HISTORY. 

He acted with astonishing vigor. He led an army into Ire- 
land, and rapidly overran and conquered the whole country. 
The people of Scotland having proclaimed Charles II. 
king, Cromwell invaded and reduced that kingdom also. 
Charles entered England with a Scottish army; but the 
battle of Worcester (1651) put an end to his hopes. The 
Dutch becoming insolent, he chastised them, and forced 
their ships to strike their flag to the English. 

140. At home Cromwell found himself surrounded by 
Cromwell dis- many difficulties. And the most troublesome 

solves Parha- ^ 

ment. of thcsc were caused by jealous and discon- 

tented Puritans in Parliament. So one day in April, 1653, 
he went to the Parliament House, and said, " Get you 
gone, and give way to honester men." He stamped on 
the floor ; musketeers stationed without poured in, the hall 
was speedily cleared, and Oliver, locking the door, carried 
off the key. In this forcible way was the Rump Parliament 
dissolved. 

141. Under the direction of Cromwell a new Parliament, 
He becomes known as " Barebonc's Parliament," * was 
Protector. called. But after sitting a short time they re- 
signed their power into the hands of Cromwell, bestowing 
upon him the title of Lord Protector of the Commonwealth. 
He was king in all but name, and indeed had more power 
than any king since Henry VIII. 

142. In the government of England Cromwell ruled as a 

despot. To insure the maintenance of his 

His home rule. , . , , i ^• • ^ ^ • 

authority the whole country was divided into 
eleven districts, and each placed under the command of a 
major-general with almost unlimited power. Resistance 
was hopeless ; men were fined and imprisoned contrary to 
law, and some were sent as slaves to Barbadoes. 

143. The Protector's foreign policy was as vigorous as 

* So called from a London currier named Barebone, who was a lead- 
ing member of it. 



ENGLAND UNDER THE STUARTS. 359 

his home government. He made England honored and 
feared. He vanquished the Spaniards by land His foreign 
and sea, and took from them the island of P°i»cy. 
Jamaica. He dictated peace to Holland. He united the 
Protestant states of Europe, and forced the Pope himself 
to moderate the religious zeal of Catholic princes. 

144. Cromwell's latter days were clouded with many 
cares and fears. Royalists, Presbyterians, and Last days and 
disappointed republicans plotted against him, ^^^ath. 

and he was in constant dread of assassination. Anxiet}' 
and fear at last wore out his strength, and an ague carried 
him off in the sixtieth year of his age (September 3, 1658), 
on the anniversary of his decisive victories of Dunbar and 
Worcester. 

145. In his person Oliver Cromwell v/as of a coarse and 
heavy figure, about the middle size. His eyes character of 
were gray and keen, his long nose was of a Cromweii. 

deep red. It is a characteristic trait 
that when a painter, wishing to flatter 
him, represented the Protector with- 
out a wart which deformed his face, 
he angrily told the artist, " Paint me 
as I am ! " Yet within this rugged 
frame there burned a great and heroic 
soul. He had military talent of the 
highest order ; but he was more than 

Cromwell. 1 t i • 7 

a mere soldier : he was an u'on char^ 
acter^ a man of terrible, fiery earnestness, fitted by Divine 
Providence for the awful yet necessary part he had to play 
in the history of England. 

146. Richard Cromwell, son of Oliver, succeeded by his 
father's appointment to the protectorate ; but Events to the 
he was wholly unfit for the position, being a Restoration, 
gentle, modest soul. Realizing his own deficiencies, he re- 
signed the office in five months. Then followed an inter- 




360 MODERN HISTORY. 

val of great confusion, in the midst of which it was clearly- 
seen that the English people were leaning towards their 
exiled sovereign, Charles II. He was accordingly invited 
back to his native land, and returning, he was proclaimed 
king in May, 1660. 

147. The Restoration., as it is called, was hailed with 
Circumstances transports of joy, — the joy of a people who 

of the Resto- , Y ^ \\ ^ , ^r 

ration. lovcd order and hated anarchy. Yet a people 

may purchase order at too dear a "price, and this fact soon 
received a striking illustration in England. The nation, 
without imposing any terms on the new sovereign, trust- 
ed implicitly to his good disposition. Charles II. soon 
showed his true character : though humane and amiable, 
he was indolent, prodigal, and licentious, unfitted either to 
support the national honor abroad, or to command respect 
at home. 

148. During the greater part of his reign Charles II. 
The reign of made fcw inroads on the Constitution and 
Charles II. laws. It is truc that he issued Declarations 
of Indulgence, removed incorruptible judges, sanctioned 
excessive fines and punishments, and published proclama- 
tions on his own authority. But these measures were so 
feeble and few compared with those of his father, and they 
were counterbalanced by so many excellent laws conducive 
to freedom, that they excited little opposition ; and the dis- 
like with which the king soon came to be regarded sprang, 
not from these illegal measures, but from his disgracefully 
licentious manner of life, and the mean acts to which he 
resorted to procure money. 

149. Towards the close of his reign he governed with- 
His later o^^t a Parliament, under the influence of his 
character. brother,* and was guilty of acts as tyrannical 
and monstrous as any committed by his father. His con- 
duct during these last years shows him to have been as 

* The Duke of York, afterwards James II. 



^ 



ENGLAND UNDER THE STUARTS. 36 1 

despotically inclined as any of the Stuarts ; and there seems 
little doubt that only his being steeped in vicious and idle 
pleasures during the greater part of his reign prevented his 
being the most arbitrary monarch of his line. 

150. Under the austere Puritan rule of Cromwell sculp- 
ture and painting had been almost banished Puritan aus- 
from the land, as savoring of idolatry. Then, t^^'^y- 

too, all public amusements, especially theatrical perform- 
ances, were forbidden, and even the innocent sports around 
the May-pole and by the Christmas-fire were sternly put 
down. 

151. The nation, released at the Restoration from such 
restriction, plunged wildly into the opposite Manners under 
extreme. The king's libertine example was Charles 11. 
imitated, and morals became very corrupt. Members of 
Parliament sold their votes, as a matter of course. The 
plays written then, in which for the first time female per- 
formers took the female parts, are unfit to be read, so dis- 
gusting are the thoughts and the language. The power of 
even the Church was but feebly exerted to stem this torrent 
of wickedness, 

152. On the other hand, it may be noticed that the Eng- 
lish during the reign of Charles 11. advanced Progress of 
considerably in material prosperity. Naviga- England. 
tion and commerce were encouraged. Manufactures of 
brass, glass, silk, hats, and paper were established. The 
post-office, set up during the Commonwealth as a means 
of raising money, was advanced in this reign. Roads were 
greatly improved, and stage-coach traveling was commenced, 
though not carried to any great extent. During this reign 
tea, coffee, and chocolate were first introduced. In 1660 
the Royal Society was estabhshed in London, for the cul- 
tivation of natural science, mathematics, and all useful 
knowledge. 

153. In 1685 Charles II. died, and was succeeded by 

16 



362 MODERN HISTORY. 

his brother, the Duke of York, who received the title of 
Sketch of Tames II. His reie^n was brief and inelo- 

JamesII.'s \ "^ . ^ 

reign. rious. james II. was a man of one idea, — 

that of making CathoUcism the national faith. The Ro- 
man Catholics at this time were not the hundredth part of 
the nation, yet the king believed he could bring back the 
old religion, and to this end alone he directed the exercise 
of that prerogative to which he clung with Stuart-like 
tenacity. The efforts of James were for some time attend- 
ed with success ; but at last they disgusted both Whigs and 
Tories, and both parties united in inviting over William, 
Prince of Orange, to deliver the nation. William was 
the grandson of Charles I., and nephew and son-in-law 
of James II., being married to that king's daughter Mary, 
known in history as Mary II. 

154. He accepted the invitation ; and collecting a large 
William of fleet and force, landed on the coast of Ens:- 

Orange and . 

James. land, 1 688. James did not perceive the storm 

that was gathering around his head, until William had 
landed. It was in vain that the king now turned himself 
to the army and the people, and promised the removal of 
every measure repugnant to the Constitution. When a 
part of the army went over to William, and the general 
voice declared itself against the king, James sent his wife 
and son to France, threw the Great Seal into the Thames, 
and then fled himself in despair from the land of his 
fathers. He lived from this time forth at St. Germain, a 
pensioner of Louis XIV. 

155' After the flight of James the representatives of 
Throne de- the English people declared the throne vacant, 
Glared vacant. ^^^ agreed that the Catholic line of the House 
of Stuart should be excluded from the government, and 
that this should be placed in the hands of the royal pair, 
William III. and Mary II. Instructed, however, by the 
past, they secured the liberties of the nation against any 
future arbitrary acts by the Bill of Rights. 



ENGLAND UNDER THE STUARTS. 363 



156. Such was what the English people call the " Glori- 
ous Revolution of 1688." And indeed it is Benefits of the 
not unworthy of the name ; for it presents a Revolution, 
striking example of the salutary power of public opmion 
directed by wisdom and aiming at just and worthy ends. 
By the Bill of Rights the British Constitution now became, 
in many important points, fixed and determined. This act 
secured by guaranties all the old English liberties which 
the Stuarts had violated. It was a triumph of the People 
over Kings. It destroyed at one blow and forever the false 
and pernicious doctrine that the royal prerogative is some- 
thing more sublime and holy than the -fundamental laws of 
the *^ealm. It laid the sure basis of the stability and the 
prosperity of England.* 

157. The Revolution was accomplished ; but James did 
not yield without a struggle. Of this, Ireland Hostile efforts 
was the chief scene. Besieging Londonderry °f James. 

in vain, he was signally defeated at the Boyne in 1690 ; and, 
utterly dispirited, he hastened to return to France. 

158. The death of Mary in 1694 left her husband to 
rule alone. This he did by prudently conceding a good 
deal to the Parliament, provided that they Career ^and^.^_ 
gave him money to carry on the war with liam. 
Louis XIV. (Of this we shall have an account under the 
Age of Louis X7V.) The treaty of Ryswick brought the 
struggle to an end in 1697. A second war was in prepara- 
tion when William died (March 8, 1702), in consequence 
of a fall from his horse. 

* Some of the most important articles in the Bill of Rights are the 
following: I. The king cannot suspend the laws or their execution. 
2. He cannot levy money without the consent of Parliament. 3. The 
subjects have a right to petition the crown. 4. A standing army cannot 
be kept up in time of peace but with the consent of Parliament. 5. Elec- 
tions and parliamentary debates must be free, and parliaments must be 
frequently assembled. 



364 MODERN HISTORY. 

159. William was a prince of commanding ability, par- 
ticularly in military affairs. His ruling senti- 

His character. '^ . . ■' . . r 1 

ment was a wish to reduce the power or the 
King of France, and this he was able in no small degree to 
effect. His person was thin and feeble, and his ordinary 
demeanor was cold, silent, and unattractive. It was only in 
battle that he ever became animated or easy. He was a 
conscientious man, of sober and even kindly domestic hab- 
its, and sincerely attached to toleration in religion. 



2. THE THIRTY YEARS' WAR. 

160. The greatest event in the politics of Continental 
Character of Europc during the first half of the 17th century 
the war. ^^^ ^^ famous TJih'ty Years' JVar, which be- 
gan about 16 1 8, and was terminated by the Treaty of West- 
phalia in 1648. This war had Germany for its center, and 
it was, properly speaking, a contest between the Catholic 
and Protestant princes of that country; but eventually 
most of the nations of Europe were drawn into it. 

161. In order to understand the nature of this struggle, 
Events from we must glaucc back to the affairs of Germany 
time.^^ ' ^ at the period of the abdication of the Emperor 
Charles V., the point at which our last survey of the Empire 
closed. Germany was at that time distracted by the politi- 
cal factions and quarrels of its independent princes, and by 
the contending sects of the Catholics, Lutherans, and Cal- 
vinists. Ferdinand I., the brother and successor of Charles 
v., attempted to reconcile these factions and unite the three 
religions, but in vain. This state of affairs was not at all 
changed under the succeeding three emperors down to Mat- 
thias, who was emperor in the early part of the 17th century.. 

162. When Matthias, who had been King of Bohemia 
Beginnings of ^nd Hungary, was elected emperor, he had 
the revolt. ^^3 cousiu Ferdinand made King of Bohemia. 



THE THIRTY YEARS' IVAR. 365 

Ferdinand was intolerant towards the Protestants of Bo^ 
hernia, and they rose in revolt. While the war was yet in 
progress Matthias died, and Ferdinand 11. , to the great 
alarm of the Protestant party, was raised to the imperial 
throne, 1619. But just about the time that Ferdinand II. 
was crowned emperor the Bohemians renounced their alle^ 
giance, and chose as their king the Elector Palatine, Freder- 
ick, a Protestant prince. 

163. Frederick was the son-in-law of the English king, 
James I., and the Protestants of Bohemia in Defeat of 
choosing Frederick trusted that he would be F'-^derick. 
upheld by British influence and power. But this hope was 
.frustrated by the weakness and timidity of James. The re- 
sult was that in the next year (1620) Frederick was driven 
out of Bohemia by the imperial army, and he presently lost 
his own dominions as well. 

164. The Emperor, blinded by his success, now deter- 
mined to crush Protestantism in Germany. Narrative of 
Wallenstein, a great general, but a most un- *^^ '^^''• 
scrupulous plunderer, was at the head of the army, and 
ravaged the territory of the Protestant princes. It seemed 
indeed that the Emperor would swallow up all Germany. 
But at this crisis other powers began to step in. The first 
was Christian IV., King of Denmark, who became the chief 
of the Protestant League (1625). He was able to accom- 
plish nothing, however, and was presently forced to return 
to his own dominions. Then it was that a heroic figure 
from the North came upon the scene. This was the famous 
Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden. 

165. Gustavus was a prince of the highest military and 
civil talents, and in every respect a noble char- Gustavus 

' J r Adolphus ap- 

acter. He was a zealous Protestant, and had pears, 
the full confidence of the Protestant princes of Germany, 
who were ready to rally the moment he obtained any 
signal advantage. On the 20th of May, 1630, taking 



366 MODERN HISTORY. 

in his arms his daughter Christina, then only four years 
of age, he presented her to the Swedish Parliament as 
their future sovereign, and made his farewell address. 
" Not lightly, not wantonly," said he, " am I about to in- 
volve myself and you in this new and dangerous war. God 
is my witness that I do not fight to gratify my own ambi- 
tion ; but the Emperor has wronged me, — has supported my 
enemies, persecuted my friends, trampled my religion in the 
dust, and even stretched forth his revengeful arm against 
my crown. The oppressed states of Germany call loudly 
for aid, which, by God's help, we will give them." 

166. Landing in Germany at the head of a small but 
His career of highly disciplined army composed of moral, 
victory. God-fcariug men, Gustavus began his career of 
victory. At the same time aid came from other quarters. 
The great Cardinal Richelieu, then the real chief of France, 
made a treaty with Gustavus and helped him with money, 
— not that he loved Protestantism (for he was then bending 
all his energies to crush the Huguenots at home), but be- 
cause he hated the House of Austria. England, too, though 
she never formally joined in the cause, lent it her moral 
support, and thousands of Englishmen and Scotchmen went 
over to enlist under the banner of Gustavus Adolphus, the 
" Lion of the North." 

167. The career of Gustavus in Germany continued for 
His victories ^wo ycars, down to the time of his death 
and death. (1630- 1 63 2). He defeated the imperial gen- 
erals Tilly and Wallenstein, and rapidly regained all that 
the Protestants had lost. His last and greatest battle was 
at LUtzen in Saxony (November i6, 1632), one of the mem- 
orable fields of history. Victory declared for the troops 
of Gustavus, but the heroic leader himself was killed in the 
fullness of his glory. 

168. The Swedes were overwhelmed with sorrow, and 
began almost to despair of their cause ; for the successor of 



THE THIRTY YEARS' WAR. 367 

Gustavus was an infant only seven years old. Fortunately, 
the council of regency intrusted the manage- Affairs after 
ment of the German war to Ox'enstiern, a ^^^ death, 
statesman of the highest abilities. Under his guidance the 
Protestant cause soon began to assume a formidable aspect ; 
the organization of the armies was once more completed, 
and the chief command intrusted to the Duke of Saxe-Wei- 
mar, a worthy successor of the great Gustavus. 

169. An unexpected event soon after greatly raised the 
confidence of the Protestants. The Emperor Death of Wai- 
Ferdinand had reason to suspect that Wallen- lenstein. 
stein meditated a revolt, and was about to use the imperial 
army as a means of obtaining sovereign power. Though 
Wallenstein's guilt was established by undoubted proof, he 
was too powerful in the camp to be arrested. Under these 
circumstances the Emperor had recourse to the disgraceful 
expedient of assassination ; and Wallenstein was murdered 
(1634) by some of his own officers, who had an imperial 
warrant for the crime. 

170. The war now assumed a new aspect, by the fact 
that France under Richelieu took a direct part New phase of 
in the contest. In fact, it became a war for ^^^ '^^''• 

the aggrandizement of France, — and all the more so as 
most of the Protestant states of Germany made peace with 
the Emperor in 1635. Under the guidance of Richelieu 
and Oxenstiern the struggle went on in most parts of 
Europe with varying success. 

171. After the death of Richelieu, in 1642, his policy of 
hostility to Austria was continued by Cardinal situation after 
Mazarin, who succeeded to the power of Riche- R»cheheu. 
lieu. The Emperor Ferdinand had died five years before ; 
so that the latter part of the Thirty Years' War went on 
under a different emperor and different rulers, both of 
France and Sweden, from those under whom it had begun. 

172. In this latter part of the war the French armies. 



368 MODERN HISTORY. 

under their great leaders, Turenne and Conde, were 
French sue- crowned witli such success that the Emperor 
*^^^^^^* found it necessary to propose a treaty in 

order to prevent the dismemberment of Germany. After 
long and tedious negotiations the Treaty of Westphalia was 
signed at Munster, in 1648. 

173. The Treaty of Westphalia is one of the most im- 
Nature of the portant treaties in the history of Europe. It 
treaty. established the religious independence of the 
Protestant states, and formally acknowledged the indepen^ 
dence of Switzerland and Holland. And, what was even 
more important, the two foreign kingdoms that had had the 
chief share in the war, France and Sweden, obtained posses- 
sions within the Empire,* and also as sureties of the peace 
they obtained a general right of meddling in the affairs of 
Germany. 

174. To Germany the Thirty Years' War was most ruin- 
Effect of the ous. The Empire was thorous^hly shattered, 

war on Ger- , , ^ , . , . ^ ' 

many. and bccamc a mere lax confederation of petty 

despotisms and oligarchies, with hardly any national feel- 
ing. Whatever traces were left, either of authority in the 
Empire or freedom in the people, quite died out. Thus 
began that weakness and disintegration which marked 
Germany for the next two centuries, and from which the 
Teutonic Fatherland has only in our own day been lifted 
into unity by mighty throes. 



3. THE AGE OF LOUIS XIV. 

175- Before narrating the history of the age of Louis 

Review of XIV. wc must ^lance at the events that con- 
events down . , , . 
to Richelieu, ncct tliis age With the reign of Henry IV., the 

* France obtained Alsace, Brisach, Metz, Verdun, and other territo- 
ries ; Sweden got Upper Pomerania, Stettin, the isle of Riigen, Bremen, 
etc., with three votes at the Diet. 



THE AGE OF LOUIS XIV. 



369 



period at which we stopped in our last survey of French 
history. Henry IV. died by the dagger of Ravaillac in 
16 10. His son, Louis XHL, being then but nine, the queen- 
mother, Mary de Medici, ruled as regent. It was a time of 
miserable court cabals, and France, which under Henry IV. 
had risen to high prosperity and splendor, sank into weak- 
ness, faction, and disorder. Louis XIII., becoming of age, 
assumed the government; but he was a feeble character. 
By the advice of his favorites he banished his mother : she 
took up her residence at Blois, rallied the dissatisfied nobles 
around her, and for two years the kingdom was kept in a 
state of anarchy. In the midst of these events a man came 
to the front who was to be the real king of France, and to 
mark an epoch in the history of Europe. This man was 
the Cardinal de Richelieu. 

176. A few years before this time a quiet-looking young 
ecclesiastic named Armand Duplessis de Riche- Advancement 
lieu had spoken with eloquence at a m.eeting °^ Richelieu, 
of the States-General, and had been appointed Bishop of 
Lucon. Then he became spiritual adviser to Mary de 
Medici ; and, as it was through his tact that the quarrel be- 
tween herself and her son was made up, the queen-mother 
succeeded in getting for him a cardinal's hat from the 
Pope, and in having Louis XIII. agree to admit him to the 
cabinet. He was only to give his opinion : he was to affect 
no state, to hold no levees, and to behave in all respects as 
a simple, humble-minded ecclesiastic. But no sooner had 
he taken his seat at the council-board than it was evident 
that the true man was found. For twent}' years (1622- 
1642), up to the time of his death, he exercised an entire 
control over the king, making him, as w^as said, " the first 
man in Europe, but the second in his own kingdom." 

177. Richelieu has been compared with Wolsey of Eng- 
land, and there are certainly points of compari- comparison 
son. Like him he was a prelate, a minister, a ^'^^^ Woisey. 

16* V 



370 MODERN HISTORY. 

consummate politician, and a master of the arts of intrigue. 
He gave his whole attention and all his vast abilities to 
affairs of state, was prodigal of display, and entertained 
projects of the most towering ambition. He added to his 
ministerial and priestly dignities the emoluments and hon- 
ors of the profession of arms, assumed the title and dress 
of generalissimo of the French army, and wore alternately 
the helmet of the warrior and the scarlet hat of the cardi- 
nal. Richelieu, however, was far more crafty than the min- 
ister of Henry VI H., and more unscrupulous, while at the 
same time he pursued a more profound and comprehensive 
policy. 

178. The chief domestic object of Richelieu was the 
Domestic poi- ciTishins: of the Hu2:uenots. Alienated by per- 

icy of Richc- -,11 , , r/ 7 • 

lieu. secution, they had attempted to throw on their 

allegiance, and establish an independent state of which Ro- 
chelle was to be capital. Richelieu laid siege to this city, 
which, after maintaining a most obstinate resistance for a 
year, during which 15,000 persons perished, was forced to 
surrender (1628.) By this event the civil war was ended, 
and the Protestant power in France finally crushed. 

179. The principal aim of Richelieu's foreign policy was 
His foreign the humiliation of Austria. This he accom- 
poiicy. plished by giving his aid to Gustavus Adol- 
phus in the Thirty Years' War ; and after the death of that 
hero France took the field directly as one of the com- 
batants of the struggle. 

180. The power of the nobles was always hostile to 
Dealings with Richelicu ; but his stern resolve and deep craft 
the nobles. thwarted all their schemes against him. When 
he got them in his grasp he did not spare, as Montmorency, 
Cinq-Mars, and De Thou — all of whom were executed for 
plots against him — bitterly experienced. 

181. In 1642 the great Cardinal died. He had extended 
the glory of the French name to distant regions, com- 



THE AGE OF LOUIS XIV. 



371 




Richelieu. 



manded the respect of all the European powers, patronized 

literature Death of the 

and SCi- Cardinal. 

ence, and founded 
the French Academy. 
Five months later died 
the nobody who wore 
the crown. 

182. Louis XIII. 
left a son who was at 
this time only five 
years old, but who, 
under the Reign of 
title of Louis XIV. 
Louis XIV., inherited 
the throne of France. 
The reign of this king 
forms the main topic of this chapter. It had the extraor- 
dinary duration of seventy-two years, lasting from 1643 to 
17 15. It is usually regarded as one of the great periods 
of French history, for during this space France rose to be 
the most formidable power in Europe. 

183. The long reign of Louis XIV. naturally divides it- 
self into three eras: i. The sfovemment of 

,, . _, - , ^ , ... Three epochs. 

Mazann ; 2. 1 he development of the ambitious 
policy of the king ; 3. Its retribution. \ 

184. During the minority of Louis XIV. the regency was 
in the hands of his mother, Anne of Austria. 
She took as her counselor an Italian, Cardinal 
Mazarin, who became the guide and master, and finally the 
unacknowledged husband, of the weak and self-willed queen. 

185. At this time the war against Spain and the Emperor 
of Germany, begun by Richelieu and forming Part in the ^ 
part of the Thirty Years' War, still continued. War. 

The result was glorious for the arms of France. Conde, an 



The regency. 



3/2 MODERN HISTORY. 

illustrious general, won a series of brilliant victories over 
Spain and the Emperor. These victories were followed by 
the Peace of Westphalia (1648), which concluded the Thirty 
Years' War. The pacification, however, did not extend to 
Spain, which continued hostilities for ten years longer. 

186. Though triumphant abroad, France was meanwhile 
Rise of the i^ ^ State of civil commotion. Mazarin, the 
Fronde. prime minister, was the object of numerous 
cabals, while at the same time the exhausted condition of 
the finances brought the crown into collision with the peo- 
ple. A reform part}' called the Fro?ide waged a civil war 
against the court party, from 1648 to 1653. This move- 
ment had in it promise of great good, but it came to naught, 
and was marked by extreme frivolity. 

187. On the death of Mazarin, Louis XIV., at the age 
LouisXiv.be- o^ twcnty-threc, assumed the direction of the 
comes king. government himself. The President of the 
Assembly of the Clergy desired to know to whom he should 
now address himself on business : " To myself," said Louis ; 
and he was sole master of France until his death. 

188. Louis XIV. had the discernment to choose great 

men as his ministers. Colbert and Louvois 

His ministers. ^,, , , , . , rr- i i r 

filled the highest offices, and put the nuances, 
commerce, and the army and navy on an excellent footing. 

189. The king wished to enlarge his empire, and to 
War with render his name illustrious by military renown. 
Spain. Yl^ took advantage, therefore, of the death of 
the Spanish king, Philip IV., to make pretensions to his 
inheritance as the husband of Maria Theresa, Philip's 
daughter, and to march an army into the Spanish Nether- 
lands, 1667. By the triple alliance of England, Holland, 
and Sweden he was compelled, by the Peace of Aix-la- 
Chapelle (1668), to surrender, after a short campaign, the 
greater part of his conquests ; but many of the frontier 
towns of Flanders remained with France, and were converted 
by the great engineer, Vauban, into impregnable fortresses. 



THE AGE OF LOUIS XIV. 373 

190. As Holland had been the chief instrument in 
checking the victorious course of the haughty war begins 
king, so she did not fail to experience his ven- "^'^^ Holland, 
geance. Louis won Sweden to his side, and purchased the 
favor of the English king (Charles II.) by bribes. Thus 
prepared and protected on every side, Louis, in 1672, 
began a second war, which at first was directed against 
Holland alone, but in which almost all the European states 
were involved during the seven years of its continuance. 

191. The Hollanders saw the approaching storm, and 
turned their eyes to a young man, the de- The Dutch 
scendant of the great Nassaus, to whom they champion, 
owed their deliverance from the Spanish yoke, and in- 
vited him to take the military government into his own 
hands. This was William, Prince of Orange, whom we 
have already seen as coming at a later period to the throne 
of England. 

192. Passing the Rhine, the French army pursued a 
rapid course of victories into the territories of French suc- 
the United Netherlands. In forty days Hoi- "^^"• 

land was overthrown, and the French were already within 
four leagues of Amsterdam. De Witt, the Grand Pension- 
ary, or chief magistrate, of the Netherlands, in despair 
demanded terms of peace. The Embassy was insultingly 
dismissed by the French king, and the people of the Hague 
rushed desperately to the house of De Witt and tore him 
and his brother Cornelius to pieces. 

193. It seemed that the ruin of Holland was now com- 
plete ; but the calm and resolute William of Deeds of Wii- 
Orange ventured on a desperate yet success- ''^"^ °^°'"^"^^- 
ful measure. Better, thought he, that the sea should ingulf 
his country than that his country should lose its liberties. 
He opened the sluices throughout the land. The German 
Ocean and the Rhine poured over all the plain, and the 
invading army was limited to the high grounds on which 



374 



MODERN HISTORY. 



their citadels were placed. William then sent forth the 
Dutch fleet to meet his enemies on the sea, and the great 
Admiral de Ruyter met the united French and English 
fleets in three combats, which, though indecisive, were on 
the whole to the advantage of the Dutch. 

194. And now from many quarters unlooked-for aid 
Aid to the Came to the Netherlanders. Shame took pos- 
Dutch. session of the English Parliament at the al- 
liance with France against a Protestant prince, and they 
forced the mercenary Charles II to sign, with his nephew 
William of Orange, a treaty of peace, 1674. It needed but 
an example, and every generous heart warmed to the 
defender of his country. The King of Spain, the German 
Emperor Leopold, and the Elector of Brandenburg (now 
Prussia) took arms against the oppressor. 

195. A grand combat of the nations, in which Louis 

The giant XIV. StOod OppOSCd tO half of EuropC, now en- 

struggle, sued. For four years (1674- 1678) the tramp 

of a dozen armies shook the Rhine' provinces, and Flanders 
and Alsace and Franche Comte. Great generals, Turenne 
and Conde and Montecuculi and William of Orange, put 
forth the mighty efforts of their genius. Success was 
now with the one side and now with the other, but it was 
not decisive with either. At length longings for peace 
seized on the heart of Europe. Louis himself was wearied 
with the struggle, which had drained the resources of his 
realm. Negotiations were entered into, and the war was 
brought to a close by the Peace of Nim'eguen, 1678. 

196. The treaty was especially favorable to the interests 
Results of the o^ France, as it secured to Louis the provinces 
treaty. ^f Franchc Comte, Alsace, and many of the 
strong fortresses and industrious towns of Flanders. Hol- 
land by the treaty recovered everything, so that Spain was 
the chief loser by the Peace of Nimeguen. 

197. Louis XIV. was now at the height of his power. 



THE AGE OF LOUIS XIV. 375 

and the municipal authorities conferred on him the title of 
Great. Yet in reality the grandeur of the point of cui- 
French monarchy had culminated, for the ™ination. 
glory of the king had been bought at too great a cost. 
The constant wars and the despotic home government of 
Louis had weakened and impoverished his kingdom. 

198. Avery impolitic measure was the Revocation of the 
Edict of Nantes^ granted by Henry IV. for the Edict of Nantes 
toleration of the French Protestants.* While revoked, 
their worship was suppressed, their churches demolished, 
and their ministers banished, the Protestant laity were for- 
bidden, under the most rigorous penalties, to quit the king- 
dom (1685). The government entered also on a most cruel 
persecution, employing dragonnades^ as they were called ; 
that is, raids by parties of dragoons, who were allowed full 
license to insult and worry the heretics till their conversion 
was obtained. The result was, that, in spite of the pen- 
alties, crowds of Huguenots continued to escape from 
France, which thus lost 500,000 of her most industrious 
and useful subjects. 

199. The Revolution of 1688 brought the Dutch Stadt- 
holder, William of Orange, to the throne of Grand aih- 
England. He had been the persistent enemy ^^^^ formed, 
of Louis, and being now at the head of a great nation, he 
had a very formidable backing. King William became the 
soul of a general league, called the Grand Alliance^ which 
was now made against the aggressions of Louis. 

200. The war went on almost everywhere at once, and 
many battles were fought and towns taken on 

both sides, especially in the Netherlands. It 
was at last ended by the Peace of Ryswick (1697), which 
retrenched some of the unjust conquests of Louis XIV. on 
the Rhine and in the Netherlands, and recognized William 
III. as the lawful sovereign of England. 

* See p T^-i^Z. 



376 MODERN HISTORY. 

201. Another great war in which Louis was the moving 
War of Span- Spirit broke out in the year 1701. This is 
ish succession, called the War of the Spanish Succession. The 
manner in which it originated was as follows. The King 
of Spain, Charles II., died in the year 1700, leaving no 
children, but leaving a will by which he bequeathed the 
succession of his house to a grandson of Louis XIV., named 
Philip of Anjou, This at once alarmed the nations of 
Europe as a menace to the Balance of Power, for Philip of 
Anjou was a mere boy. The astute and ambitious Louis 
XIV. would himself be the real ruler, and the close union 
of two such kingdoms as France and Spain was greatly 
to be feared. 

202. Accordingly the German Emperor and William III. 
Narrative of of England United with Holland and Prussia 
events. ^^ prevent Philip's wearing the crown of Spain. 
They supported the claims of the Archduke Charles, second 
son of the German Emperor, as King of Spain. William 
III., who was the head of the coalition, died in the midst of 
his hopes and preparations ; but two men rose in his place, 
— one the greatest general except one in the annals of Eng- 
land, John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough ; the other, 
Prince Eugene of Savoy, who headed the armies of the 
Emperor. 

203. This War of the Spanish Succession lasted for thir- 
Resuit of the teen years (170T - 1714), and resulted in the 
^^'■- humiliation of Louis XIV. The French king 
was defeated in all his plans. Marlborough sent his mar- 
shals in headlong flight from Blen'heim, Ramillies', Oude'- 
narde, and Malplaquet. Gibraltar was wrested forever from 
Spain and attached to England. The French fleets were 
burned at Vigo, and Toulon was besieged by sea and land. 
Prince Eugene in the mean time crushed the French power 
in Italy and approached the boundaries of France. Domes- 
tic sorrow, too, came to Louis. His only son died, then 



THE AGE OF LOUIS XIV. 377 

two of his grandsons ; and nobody remained in the direct 
line of succession to the old man of seventy-four but a 
great-grandson, then a child in arms. 

204. Nevertheless, Louis succeeded so far that he estab- 
lished Philip of Anion on the throne of Spain ; Sudden suc- 

, , . 1 . T r 1 r cess of Louis 

and the way m which, after so many defeats, xiv. 
this came about is rather curious. The allies were contend- 
ing with France to set the Archduke Charles of Austria on 
the throne of Spain, in order to prevent too close a union 
between Spain and France. Now, in the thirteenth year of 
the war the Emperor of Germany died, and the Archduke 
Charles became Emperor. If he were made King of Spain 
while at the same time German Emperor, would not the 
Balance of Power, about which the allies were so anxious, 
be still more daringly menaced ? Accordingly Louis XIV. 
was surprised to find his nomination of Philip to the Span- 
ish crown suddenly ratified by England and Holland. The 
chief point was conceded, and Philip V. became the first of 
the Bourbon line in Spain. The treaties of Utrecht (17 13) 
and of Rastadt (17 14) terminated the war. The next year 
Louis XIV. died. 

205. During the last thirty years of the reign of Louis 
XIV. France stood at the culminating point of Position of 
her power abroad and of her prosperity at France, 
home, so that the flattering chronicles of those days de- 
scribed the period of Louis Quatorze as the golden age of 
France. Trade and industry received a prodigious develop- 
ment by the care of Colbert ; the woolen and silk manufac- 
tures, the stocking and cloth weaving, which flourished in 
the southern towns, brought prosperity ; the maritime force 
increased ; colonies were planted ; and the productions of 
France were carried by trading-companies to all parts of 
the world. 

206. In this age also the court of France displayed a 
magnificence that had never before been witnessed. Sump- 



378 ^ MODERN HISTORY. 

tuous buildings, costly libraries, splendid literary produc- 
The court and tions, vast establishments for the natural sci- 
manners. enccs, academies and similar institutions, ex- 

alted the glory and renown of the Great Monarch. The 
refined air of society, the polished tone, the easy manners 
of the nobility and courtiers, subdued Europe more per- 
manently and extensively than the weapons of the army. 
French manners and fashions bore sway from this time in 
all the higher circles of society, and the French language 
and French style attained supremacy in Europe. 

207. Nevertheless, it was not a period which any one 
True character who lovcs the greatest of all things, political 
of the age. liberty and the true virtue of nations, can re- 
gard with unmixed satisfaction. We must, in summing up 
the Age of Louis XIV., carefully guard against the false 
political philosophy that would teach us to judge an epoch 
by its mere external glitter. For beneath the polish and 
veneer was utter rottenness. The government, though tem- 
pered by courteous manners and superficial polish, was an 
Oriental despotism, and Louis XIV. himself summed up 
all the political characteristics of the reign in one signifi- 
cant sentence, " I am the State " {L Etat c'est moi). The 
means to carry on the great and often unjust wars whose 
victories are cited as the ground of our admiration, were 
raised by a severe and unequal taxation that pressed heavily 
on the cultivators of the soil. Under a flimsy veil of pro- 
priety and politesse, the morals of society were exceedingly 
corrupt. The literature of the age was brilliant, but it was 
at the same time servile. Louis put the muses into his liv- 
ery, as he had already done with the nobility, and artists and 
authors took his wages to cover him with official adulation. 

208. The great characteristic of the age, in fact, is its 
Its artificial- artificiality, which pervaded everything, — lit- 
'ty- erature, conversation, manners, life. The king 
himself wore red heels to his shoes, four inches high, which 



PROGRESS OF CIVILIZATION'. 379 

addition was supposed to make his stature something very 
imposing. And so when he danced in public, and stalked 
across the scene, rolling his eyes and turning out his toes, 
it was thought the sublimest spectacle on earth ; and all the 
gentlemen of France then walked with a strut, and stuck 
out their elbows, and tied themselves in at the waist. The 
whole reign was a spectacle, a theatrical display with grand 
machinery, and calculated to excite astonishment ; — and 
the justest praise that can be given to the Gratid Monargiie 
is in the sentence of Bolingbroke, who pronounced Louis 
XIV. " the best actor of majesty that ever filled a throne." 



4. PROGRESS OF CIVILIZATION. 

209. The 17th century is one of the most active and 
progressive periods in the intellectual history character of 
of Europe. A great revival had begun in the *^^ century, 
previous century, and in this century it was carried forward 
in great scientific discoveries, in striking improvements in 
philosophy, in powerful literatures, and in a general advance 
in the condition of the people. 

210. In philosophy the most notable change was the 
substitution of the modem method of itidudive Bacon and his 
inquiry for the barren and fruitless method of Philosophy, 
reasoning which had come down from Aristotle to the 
schoolmen, and which consisted in assuming causes instead 
of interrogating Nature herself. The name of Bacon is asso- 
ciated with the new philosophy, which, indeed, is often called 
the Baconian method. But Bacon was not so much the 
author of the change as an evidence that the change had 
taken place. 

211. The man to whom the new philosophy was per- 
haps more indebted than to any other was 

the French philosopher Descartes \dd-cart'\ ^^"^^^ ^^' 
He found uncertainty and doubt everywhere, and gave 



380 MODERN HISTORY. 

himself to the study of certainties by universal doi^hi ; no<- 
nursing doubt as a skeptic, but striving to arrive at truth 
by dismissing all prejudices. He then starts from this 
fact, — / think ; or, as he expresses it, CogitOy ergo siifn* 
Then, I exist ^ not 0/ my own wi/l, but fro??! some source out of 
myself. Then, I cannot co?ne from any source less perfect than 
my 07V71 ideas of perfection ^ etc. 

212. A still bolder course was pursued contemporane- 

ously by a Tew of Holland, Spinoza, who by 

Spinoza. , , 'i • • i i • 

a method akni to geometrical demonstration 
proved that there must be only one " Infinite Substance," 
of which all the various forms of existence are but emana- 
tions. Ignorant and uncharitable persons have been accus- 
tomed to call him an atheist, and speak evil of him ; but 
he was one of the most virtuous and self-denying of men. 
While speculative philosophy has any interest for the race, 
his works will be a wonder which thinkers will consider 
carefully as one of the grandest and, in many respects, 
most appalling creations of human genius. 

213. In astronomy Galileo led the way, in the early part 
Kepler and of the 17th ccutury, by the discovery of the 
Newton. satellites of the larger planets and their mo- 
tions. Then a greater genius followed : Kepler earned 
for himself the title of the " legislator of the heavens," by 
investigating with enormous labor three of the great laws 
that regulate the motions of the planets. Newton came 
after Kepler, and completed his work. He demonstrated 
the theory of universal gravitation, a principle which solves 
the chief phenomena of nature and connects and regu- 
lates the whole material universe. His theory of light and 
colors is the foundation of the science of optics, and his 
Principia the basis of all natural philosophy, or physics. 

214. Newton was also the discoverer of that most power 

* " I think, therefore 1 am " 



PROGRESS OF CIVILIZATION. 38 1 

ful instrument of mathematics, the Calculus^ Newton and 
which he called fluxions^ — though it is a curi- Leibmtz. 
ous fact that Leib'nitz, a German philosopher of universal 
genius, discovered this method independently about the same 
time. 

215. The discoveries in astronomy led to improvements 
in navigation. Napier abridged calculation by other great 
the invention of logarithms. The Florentine '^^'"es. 
physicist, Torricel'li, laid the foundation of hydraulics, and 
invented the mercurial barometer. Otte Guericke \ger'ik-ka\ 
invented the air-pump. In 1628 Harvey published his dis- 
covery of the circulation of the blood, having spent nearly 
twenty years in collecting facts to establish his theory. 

216. The English Royal Society, which originated from 
private meetings of the English philosophers, scientific so- 
was incorporated by Charles 11. in 1662, and ^^^^^^s. 
greatly contributed to the advancement of the sciences and 
the useful arts. The French Academy of Sciences was insti- 
tuted in 1666 by Louis XIV., and similar institutions were 
founded in most of the countries of Europe. These socie- 
ties did much for physics and chemistry. Brandt, an al- 
chemist, discovered phosphorus in 1677. 

217. The progress of literature in the 17th century was 
equally remarkable with that of science and 

1-11 All 1 -I- 11 11 French drama. 

philosophy. And here the l^rench showed the 
greatest advance. The French drama was the creation of 
the Age of Louis XIV. Corneille' and Racine' brought 
French tragedy to its highest elevation. Corneille has 
more grandeur and sublimity than his rival, who excels him 
in the tender and pathetic. The comedies of Moliere \niol- 
/e-er'] are among the finest productions of wit ever composed. 

218. The French pulpit oratory of this century can boast 
several unrivaled names. Bossuet l/^os-su-d'l 

.... -" Other writers. 

was a universal genius and spirit-stirring ora- 
tor ; Mas'sillon and Bourdaloue' were reckoned the greatest 



382 MODERN HISTORY 

of French preachers ; Fen'elon, the author of Telemaqiie^ 
was an admired pastor. Pascal was a mathematician when 
a child, and was famous in many sciences before he had 
attained manhood. His Provincial Letters, directed against 
the Jesuits, are reckoned masterpieces of witty argument, 
and he is characterized by Bayle as " one of the sublimest 
spirits of the world." The other French writers of emi- 
nence are Rochefoucauld \rdsh-foo-kb'\ the author of the 
well-known keen and witty Maxims; Boileau \lni>ah-ld'\ 
the critic and writer of satirical poems ; and La Fontaine', 
the modern yEsop, and author of the most delightful fables 
ever written. 

219. English literature continued to flourish in all its 
English litera- splendor during the first half of the 17th 
*"^^- century. Shakespeare died in 16 16; but he 
was followed by Ben Jonson and Fletcher and Mas'singer. 
The period of civil war was not favorable to literary prog- 
ress, but still there were many writers of undying fame 
even in those days of strife. In verse Milton produced 
his great epics ; Jeremy Taylor shone in prose ; and 
Bunyan, the " Dreamer of Bedford," gave to the world his 
famous allegories. The period following the Restoration 
produced many dramatic writers, of whom John Dryden 
was the prince. The stage literature of the epoch was, how- 
ever, marked by great licentiousness. Butler, the author of 
Hiidibras, shines as a humorous and satirical writer. 

220. In art, though the 17th century showed rather a 
Art and the falling off from the epic grandeur of the pre- 
school, vious century, yet there are not wanting illus- 
trious names. At this period it is, strange to say, the Neth- 
erlanders that lead in art. Rubens, born in the previous 
century, was the greatest painter of the Flemish school, and 
specially famed for his coloring and bold execution. Ru- 
bens's famous pupil, Vandyck, was a native of Antwerp, 
but was naturalized in England, where he lived the larger 



PROGRESS OF CIVILIZATION. 383 

part of his life, painting those portraits that hand down to 
us the faces of most of the beauties of Charles I.'s court. 
The third great name of the Flemish school is Rem'brandt, 
who excelled particularly in color and the effects of light 
and shade. 

221. Of the Spanish painters Muril'lo was the most 
celebrated during this period. The land of . 
Michel Angelo and Raphael could during 

this century produce no greater name than that of Salvator 
Rosa, a second-class artist. England had but little native 
art, though we may mention the name of Sir Christopher 
Wren, the architect of St. Paul's Cathedral. 

222. The social condition of the European nations dur- 
ing the 17th century is a subject so large and Europe in the 
diversified, that we shall confine our attention ^^th century, 
to that people in which we are most directly interested, 
namely, the English people.* 

223. The country "gentlemen," now a polished and im- 
portant class, were then rough and poorly edu- English gen- 
cated. Seldom leaving their native country, ^'■y ^"'^ clergy, 
even for London, they spent their days in field sports or 
in attending the neighboring markets, and their evenings 
in drinking strong beer. The ladies of the family, whose 
accomplishments seldom rose above the baking of pastry 
or the brewing of gooseberry-wine, cooked the meals of 
the household. In the evening they amused themselves by 
sewing and spinning. The country clergy stood low in the 
scale. In most mansions there was a chaplain, or, as he 
was often called, a Levite, who, receiving his board and 
$ 50 a year, was no better than an upper servant. When he 
married, his wife was usually selected from the kitchen of 
his patron. 

* The details here given are derived chiefly from the well-known 
third chapter of Macaidays History of England., which should be read 
in full for a vivid j^icture of English life in the 17th century. 



384 MODERN HISTORY. 

224. The yeomen, or ^mall farmers, were numerous 

and influential. It is estimated that under the 
e yeomanry, g^^^^.^^ ^^^ Seventh of the wliole population 
of England cultivated lands of their own. Men of this 
class were characterized by a spirit of independence and a 
leaning towards Puritanism, and they formed the strength 
of the Roundhead armies. Since then very many of the 
small freeholds have been bought up by large proprietors, 
and the English yeomanry of the present day are, in con- 
sequence, much less independent in political matters than 
the same class of men in the 17th century. 

225. Of the laboring classes we know little. Four fifths 
Laboring of them were employed in agriculture, at wages 
classes. averaging from four to six shillings (English) 
per week. A mechanic, as late as the reign of Charles II., 
worked for a shilling a day, but oftentimes he was com- 
pelled to take less. The chief food of the poor was rye, 
barley, or oats. Rude ballads were their only means of 
complaint, and in these they poured forth their woes. The 
" poor-rate " was the heaviest tax, for the paupers amounted 
to no less than one fifth of the community. 

226. In the English people there seems to have been a 
Brutality of remarkable vein of coarseness and brutality ; 
the people. ^^^ jg ^-j^j^ wondcrful whcu the practice of 
every-day life is considered. Masters beat their servants ; 
husbands beat their wives daily. Teachers used the lash 
as the principal means of imparting knowledge. The mob 
rejoiced in fights of all kinds, and shouted with glee when 
an eye was torn out, or a finger chopped off, in these savage 
encounters. Executions were favorite public amusements. 
The prisons were constantly full, and proved to be fruitful 
nurseries of crime. 

227. To describe the various costumes and manners of 
Costumes of the pcHod would be impossible within brief 

Cavalier and '■ , ^ 

Roundhead. compass, — SO a few pomts on each head must 



PROGRESS OF CIVILIZATION. 385 

suffice. The Cavalier and the Roundhead present a strik- 
ing contrast in their dress and habits. The Cavalier cos- 
tume consisted of a tunic of silk or satin with slashed 
sleeves ; a rich lace collar adorned the neck, and a short 
cloak hung gracefully over one shoulder. Short full drawers, 
or trousers, almost reached the top of the wide boots, which 
came half-way up the calf of the leg. A broad-brimmed 
beaver, adorned with a rich band and a plume of feathers, 
covered the head. The hair hung in curls over the shoul- 
ders, and the beard was trimmed to a point, while the love- 
locks were tied up with a pretty colored ribbon. The Puri- 
tan Roundhead wore a cloak of sad-colored brown or bbck, 
a plain collar of linen laid carelessly down on the plaited 
cloth, and a hat with a high, steeple-shaped crown over his 
closely clipped or lank straight hair. 

228. With regard to the ladies' dresses, the farthingale 
and stiff ruffs of the Elizabethan period srave . 

n • 1 • 1 Ladies' dress. 

way, under Charles I., to rlowmg skirts, and 
falling collars edged with lace. The costumes of the court 
of Charles II. were something of the same style, but the 
dress was worn indecently low. An improvement in the lat- 
ter respect was made after the Revolution of 1688. Then, 
too, began the fashion of looping up the skirts to show 
the rich underclothing, and the custom of wearing the hair 
combed up like a tower. Both these fashions disappeared 
at the close of the period, when curls and the old farthingale, 
under the name of the hoop-petticoat, came again into use. 

229. The means of communication between one place 
and another were very deficient. The roads Means of com- 
were in a most wretched state, and canals munication. 
were scarcely yet thought of. In wet weather it was almost 
impossible to get along the highways in any kind of car- 
riage. The rich traveled in their own co<*iches, but six 
horses at least were required to overcome the badness of 
the roads. The post-bags were carried on horseback at the 

17 Y 



386 MODERN HISTORY. 



rate of five miles an hour ; but in many country places 
letters were delivered only once a week. The erection of 
toll-gates in 1663 was the first step towards improving the 
means of transit. Bad roads and conveyances were not 
the only drawbacks to traveling in this period. Mounted 
highwaymen infested all the most frequented ways, and ir 
was not safe even for a public coach in broad day to pass 
certain places unless the passengers were well armed. 

230. The state of culture and education was very low. 
Culture and There was nothing equal to our modern news- 
education, paper, and there were few printing-presses in 
the country except in London and at the Universities. 
Books were therefore scarce and dear. Female education 
was at a very low point, and the most accomplished ladies 
spelled their letters very badly. 

231. Those great branches of manufacturing industry 

which now form the wealth of England were 

Industries. . . , . . , 

then m their mf^mcy. The woolen manufac- 
ture was the leading industry, though the silk manufacture 
began to attract attention during this period. The linen 
manufacture was chiefly a domestic employment ; the cot- 
ton-trade was almost unknown. The mmeral wealth of the 
country was quite neglected, and not until the close of this 
century did it begin to receive some attention. 




GREAT NAMES OF THE \tTH CENTURY. 387 



GREAT NAMES OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY. 

PHILOSOPHERS AND SCIENTISTS. • 

Francis Bacon (1561- 1626), the greatest of English philosophers — 
is called the founder of the hiductive system 
of philosophy (as opposed to the Deductive 
or Aristotelian system) ; for, though it was 
applied before his time, he was the first to 
put the method in philosophic form — his 
great works, the Novum Organum and the 
Advancement of Learning- but the book by 
which he is best known is his Essays. 

Descartes (1596- 1650), a great French 
philosopher — was brought up for the army, 
but abandoned the profession and retired ^"'^^ Bacon. 

to Holland to study philosophy — was tutor of Queen Christina of 
Sweden — had a great influence on the method of philosophizing in 
the 17th century. 

Hobbes (1588- 1679), a famous English philosopher — was early asso- 
ciated with Galileo and Descartes — he partly educated Prince 
Charles — was a "freethinker," but not a deist or atheist — chief 
works, the Leviathan and the Behemoth. 

Kepler (1571 -1630), an illustrious German mathematician and astron- 
omer — he discovered what are known as Kepler's "Three Laws," 
which laid the foundation of mathematical astronomy — one of the 
greatest thinkers of any age, combining the inspiration of a prophet 
and poet with the method of a mathematician — passed most of his life 
in great poverty. 

Harvey (1578- 1657), studied medicine at Padua. England having no 
schools for the purpose — in 1615, as lecturer at the College of Physi- 
cians, he first announced his discovery of the circulation of the blood. 

Spinoza (1622- 1677), of Jewish birth — one of the great modern 
philosophers — much persecuted for his inquiring and skeptical turn 
of mind — led a very simple and virtuous life — his philosophy is very 
profound, and his greatest work is Ethica Afore Geometrica Demon- 
strata (" Ethics Demonstrated by Geometric Method "). 

Isaac Newton (1642 -1727), professor of mathematics at Cambridge 
— discoverer of the law of universal gravitation — remarkable also for 
his optical discoveries — chief work, Prindpia, a Latin treatise on 
natural philosophy. 



388 MODERN HISTORY. 

Leibnitz (1640- 1716), a jurist, historian, mathematician, and meta- 
physician — the most learned of modern philosophers, and the founder 
of the eclectic system of German philosophy, 

ARTISTS. 

Rubens (1577- 1640), born in Westphalia, but son of a Dutch refugee 
from Antwerp — destined for a lawyer, but was a painter by nature — 
his industry resulted in four thousand pictures and sketches, and his 
wealth was immense — as a painter of portraits and historical scenes 
was almost unrivaled — most famous pieces, the Descent from the CrosSy 
the Last yudgment. Peace and War, etc. 

Vandyck (1599-1641), sou of a glass-painter — pupil of Rubens — 
went to England in 1632 — celebrated for his portraits — those of 
Charles I. and Straiford very fine — best historical picture, The 
Crucifixion. 

Rembrandt (1606- 1669), a native of Leyden, and one of the most 
original and able painters that ever lived — excelled particularly in 
color and the effects of light and shade, but shows lack of refinement 
in his figures. 

Poussin (1594-1655), born at Andely in Normandy — a great painter 
— among his works are the Death of Germatiicus, the Taking of Je- 
rusalem, and the Last Supper. 

Murillo (1618-1682), one of the most celebrated Spanish painters — 
his early pictures are taken from humble life, as beggar-boys, flower- 
girls, etc. — his later productions are religious pieces, as Madonnas, 
holy families, etc. — died of a severe fall whilst engaged in painting 
the interior of a church. 

WRITERS. 

Ben Jonson (1574- 1637), in early life a soldier — then an actor — poet- 
laureate under James I. — author of fifteen plays extant, chiefly come- 
dies, and numerous masques — earliest comedy, Every man in his 
Himior. 

Calderon (De la Barca) (1601-1681), a distinguished Spanish 
dramatist — born at Madrid — wrote about five hundred pieces, 

Corneille (1606 -1684), a great French dramatist — born at Rouen — 
made his fame by his tragedy of the Cid — other great works, Hor- 
ace and Cinna. 

John Milton (1608- 1674), the greatest epic poet of modern times — 
Latin secretary to Oliver Cromwell — author of Paradise Lost and 
Paradise Regained, which were written in poverty and blindness — 



GREAT NAMES OF THE itTH CENTURY. 389 

numerous masques and sonnets came from his pen — wrote also in 

prose — his genius remained unnoticed under the Stuarts. 
Samuel Butler (1612-1680), son of a Worcestershire farmer — author 

of a mock-heroic poem called Hudibras, which was a famous satire 

upon the Puritans. 
Jeremy Taylor (1613-1667), an English bishop after the Restoration 

— wrote on theolog}' — author of Liberty of Pi'ophesying^ Holy Livijii^^ 
Holy Dying., and many other works — his style distinguished for its 
ornateness and splendor of imagery. 

La Fontaine ( 1621 - 1705), a French poet and fabulist — lived a quiet, 
lazy life in patrons' houses — chief works, his Fables. 

Moliere (1622- 1673), a distinguished French dramatist and writer of 
very charming comedies — among his many works, Le Bourgeois Gen- 
tilhomme, Le Misanthrope, and Tartiife may be named. 

Pascal (1623 -1662), an eminent French philosopher and scientist — 
early displayed great aptitude for mathematics and science, but went 
into the Church — wrote against the Jesuits in his Provincial Letters 

— another great but fragmentary work is his Pensees. 

Bossuet (1627- 1704), consecrated Bishop of Meaux in 1681 — one of 

the greatest pulpit orators of France. 
John Bunyan (1628-1688), a tinker of Bedford — became a Baptist 

preacher — imprisoned twelve years for preaching — wrote in prison 

the celebrated Pilgrim's Progress. 
John Dryden (1631- 1700), a great English poet — made poet-laureate 

by Charles IT. — author of numerous plays and satires in verse — 

chief works, Absalom and Achitophel, the most perfect and powerful 

satire in our language, The Hind and Panther., Alexander s Feast, etc. 
Boileau (1636- 171 1), a noted French poet, remarkable for the moral 

tone of his writings — chief works, his Satires and Epistles, and the 

Lutrin, a mock heroic. 
Racine (1639- 1699), the most celebrated of the French dramatists — 

Androinaque was his first successful piect', and Phedre and Iphighiie 

were the most famous — his style is founded on classic models. 
Fcnelon (1651-1715), Archbishop of Cambray — one of the sect called 

Quietists — denounced as a heretic by Bossuet — best-known work, the 

romance of Telemaque. 



36 



390 MODERN HISTORY. 



CHAPTER IV. 
GREAT EVENTS OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. 

f England under the Georges. 
TOPICS ... J Prussia and Frederick the Great. 
1 Rise of Russia. 
(^ The French Revolution. 

I. ENGLAND UNDER THE GEORGES. 

232. The history of England has been traced down to 
The successor the death of William III., in 1702. He was 
of William III. succecded by his sister-in-law Anne, who was 
a daughter of James II. Her reign fills the twelve years 
between 1702 and 17 14, and with it ends the Stuart line 
of English sovereigns. 

233. The three chief events of Anne's reign are: i. The 
Three leading union of Scotland with England ; 2. The cam- 
events, paigns of Marlborough ; 3. The contests be- 
tween the Wliigs and Tories. 

234. Though by the accession of James I. to the throne 
Hostility be- of Ens^land the two crowns were united, yet 

tween England -^^ , , , ^ , , .„ 

and Scotland. England and Scotland were still two separate 
nations, with separate parliaments. Indeed, ever since that 
event a feeling of jealousy and dissatisfaction had been 
growing up in the minds of the Scotch people with refer- 
ence to England. This feeling grew apace ; and finally, at 
the beginning of the i8th century, it became plain that a 
separation of the two countries was nigh at hand, unless 
something was done to allay the discontent. There was 
even for a time a show of war upon the part of the Scots. 
But better counsels prevailed. 

235. Wise men on both sides were commissioned to draw 
up a Treaty of Unioii^ and this in 1707 received the sane- 



ENGLAND UNDER THE GEORGES. 39 1 

tion of the Scottish Parliament. This treaty provided that 
the two kingdoms should form one, under the Treaty of 
name of Gnat Britain ; and it is believed th.it Union, 
this measure, to a great extent, laid the foundation of Scot- 
tish prosperity. 

236. During a great part of the reign of Anne the War 
of the Spanish Succession, about which we Marlborough's 
learned under the account of the Age of Louis campaign. 
XIV., went on. It was in this war that the great captain, 
Marlborough, humbled the power of France. The contest, 
as already seen, was brought to a close by the Treaty of 
Utrecht^ 1713- 

237. Throughout the whole of the reign of Queen Anne 
a struggle went on between the Whigs and the strife of whigs 
Tories for the possession of the government. ^"^ Tones. 
Anne, though at heart a Tory, was long compelled to yield 
to the guidance of her Whig ministers. The strife raged 
fiercely around two great questions, — the War and the 
Church. The Whigs, of whom Marlborough was leader, 
cried out for war ; the Tories sought the restoration of 
peace. The Whigs were Low Church ; the Tories, High 
Church. The Whigs at last were forced to succumb, a 
Tory ministry came into power, and the Treaty of Utrecht 
was their work. 

238. Anne died of apoplexy in the year 17 14. She had 
lost her husband (Prince George of Denmark) character of 
six years before. Not one of her seventeen ^""6- 
children was then living. She was a woman of little talent 
and less learning ; simple and homely in all her tastes and 
habits. The expression of her face was heavy, — the dull 
look of one upon whom domestic bereavements had laid a 
heavy hand. She had, however, an affectionate disposition, 
and her virtues obtained for her the title of " Good Queen 
Anne." Her reign is noted as one of the brilliant periods 
of English literature. 



392 



MODERN HISTORY. 



239. Queen Anne dying without children, the Padia- 
Anne's sue- nient chose as king, George, Elector of Hano- 
cessors. ^g^.^ ^^j-^^ ^^g ^ descendant of James I. in the 
female line, and the next Protestant heir. With him begins 
the Guelph line, or House of Brunswick. This dynasty still 
continues to rule England ; ^ but so far as we are now con- 
cerned we shall carry the narrative only down to George 
III., whose rule passes over into the 19th century. 

240. George I. was a German ; so that England now pre- 
Accession of scntcd the curious spectacle of being ruled by 
George I. ^ ^v^g vvho could not spcak English. At the 
time of his accession he was fifty-four years of age. His 
person was coarse and heavy ; his mind was uncultivated ; 
his tastes were low. His wife, Sophia of Brunswick, had 
been left in imprisonment in Hanover, condemned to per- 
petual confinement for some alleged misconduct. 

241. George I., who was a thorough German, thought 
Politics under ^"^"^ morc of liis Electorate of Hanover than 
George I. j-^g ,jj^ Qf j-^jg Kingdom of Great Britain ; and 
this partiality became a source of political complication. 
He had been called to the throne by the Whigs, and it was 
from this party that he chose all his advisers. The Tory 
leaders were prosecuted and impeached. Great riots then 
took place, for the feeling of almost the entire nation ran 
strongly in favor of the Tories ; and opposition to the king 
finally took shape in the rallying of a considerable party to 
the support of the Pretender, 

* The following list comprises the sovereigns of the House of Bruns- 
wick, with the dates of their accession : — 



George I. (great-grandson 

of James I.) 1714 

George II. (son) 1727 

George III. (grandson) .... 1760 
Regency of the Prince of 

Wales 181 1 



George IV. (son) 1820 

William IV. (brother) 1830 

Victoria (niece) 1837 



ENGLAND UNDER THE GEORGES. 393 



242 This person was the son of James IL, and called 
himself James III. He had pretensions to J„^^| ^-^^tf 
the throne of England and Scotland, for, of sion. 
course, he did not acknowledge the union of the two kmg- 
doms His supporters were called " Jacobites," from Jaco- 
bus the Latin name for James. Louis XIV. had promised 
the Pretender aid in winning the British throne ; but just 
then the French king died, — so that when in 17 15 nsmgs 
were made both in Scotland and England in the cause of 
the Pretender, and he himself came over from France to jom 
in he was easily defeated, and the attempt utterly failed. 

243. A pacific reign, like that of George I., furnishes 
few events of importance in history. One, Soujh^Saa 
however, of disastrous consequence occurred. ^^ ^"^^- 
A Scotchman named Law, who had become controller- 
general of France, and amused that country with financial 
schemes which at first promised to enrich, but finally almost 
ruined the country, was the means in 1720 of inspiring 
the British people with a similar visionary project, called 
the South Sea Bubble. It seemed for a time to prosper, 
and many realized large fortunes by selling* their shares at 
a premium to others ; but in a short time its unsoundness 
was discovered, the price of shares fell, and thousands were 
utterly ruined. With great difficulty the House of Com- 
mons equalized as nearly as possible the state of gain and 
loss among the innocent parties, and credit was restored. 

244. George IL, son of George L, ascended the throne of 
Great Britain in the forty-fifth year of his age, character of 
1727 He was a little, light-haired, fair-corn- °^°^s^ 
plexioned man. Having resided some time in England, he 
had a partial knowledge of the English language, which, 
however, he spoke with a foreign accent. He cared as 
little for science, art, or literature as did his father, and he 
was more than once heard to growl, in liis German-English, 
that he saw no good in " bainting and boetry." 



17 



394 MODERN HISTORY. 

245. During nearly half the reign of George II. (i. e. till 

1742) the office of Prime Minister was held bv 

Walpole. ^. ^.^ . ,^- , , ^^ . ,. / 

Sir Robert Walpole. He was a man of little 
learning, rough and boisterous in his manners and in his life ; 
but he retained his great power with a passionate grasp, 
preserving it, dishonorably indeed, but with consummate 
tact. Bribery was the secret of his long reign as Premier ; 
so that he had always at command a majority of votes in 
Parliament. 

246. During the reign of George II. there were fouv 
Four wars of wars of Considerable importance : i. The war 
George II. yN\i\\ Spain ; 2. The war of the Austrian Succes- 
sion ; 3. The war for the Young Pretender ; 4. The Ameri- 
can war with France. 

1. The war with Spain was begun in 1739, and was forced on George 
II. and Walpole by the general wish of the people, who were stirred 
up by tales of wrong done to Englishmen by the Spaniards in America. 
Little or nothing came of this war. 

2. The war of the Austrian Succession broke out in 1 741. It was to 
determine whether Maria Theresa, daughter of the Emperor of Germany, 
Charles VI., should succeed to the Austrian throne, or whether it should 
gO to another claimant, Charles, the Elector of Bavaria. Though it was 
a quarrel with which in reality England had nothing to do, yet George 
II. espoused the cause of Maria Theresa, while Prussia under Frederick 
the Great, and France under Louis XV., took the side of Charles. Noth- 
ing came of this war, as England and France gave back their conquests to 
each other at the end of it. (Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, 1748.) 

3. In the year 1745 Charles Edward, the son of the Old Pretender, 
tried with French aid to gain the British crown for his father. The battle 
of Culloden decided against him 

4. The war with France had relition to the colonies of the two coun- 
tries in America, and is known in United States history as the " French 
and Indian War." It began in 1755, was continued into the reign of 
George III., who began to rule in 1760, and was ended in i~63 by the 
Peace of Paris. By this treaty all Canada was surrendered to the British. 

247. During the latter part of the reign of George II. 

the great figure in politics was William Pitt, 
known as the Great Comniouer. He was born 



ENGLAND UNDER THE GEORGES. 395 

in 1708; he was educated at Oxford, served in the army, 
then in Parliament, and finally giving himself up entirely 
to politics, he won for himself a leading place in the 
government of his country. He directed all his genius 
to raising the glory of England both in America and in 
India ; and it was to his clear head and admirable admin- 
istrative faculties that Great Britain owed her formidable 
position in the politics of Europe in the middle of the i8th 
century, 

248. George III. in 1760 ascended a glorious throne. 
Through the energy and foresight of the Great England under 
Commoner Britain had become the first nation George iii. 

in the world. He was the first monarch of his House who 
could be regarded as English in feeling. His first speech 
to the Parliament contained words which showed that Eng- 
land had obtained at last a native king. " Born and edu- 
cated in this country," said George, " I glory in the name of 
Briton." 

249. George III. was the best of the Georges, which, 
however, is not saying much. He was correct character of 
in his private life, devoted himself faithfully ^^"""^^ ^"• 

to the duties of his station, and no doubt had the good of 
his country at heart. But he was a man of narrow under- 
standing and obstinate prejudices, and his very patriotism 
led him into a series of fatal blunders. Long prone to 
insanity, his mind quite gave way in 18 10, though he lived 
until 1820. 

250. This reign was fruitful in Colonial history. In- 
deed, ere it was five years old, symptoms of the Events in 
great, and to Britain disastrous, American War ^-menca. 
began to appear. The trouble arose during the adminis- 
tration of Mr. Grenville, showing itself decisively on the 
passage of the Stamp Act, 1765. This was afterwards re- 
pealed ; but other taxes were imposed which finally precipi- 
tated that momentous conflict which resulted in the inde- 



39^ MODERN HISTORY. 

pendence of our country and the appearance of the Repub- 
lic of the United States among the powers of the earth. 

251. It was in this reign also that the great struggle be- 
Conquest of twecu the French and English for the possession 
India. Qf India was settled in favor of the latter. The 

English power in India first made great advances under 
Clive, and after him the most famous name in the history 
of British India was that of Warren Hastings. Not only 
were the French subdued, but the various native princes 
were conquered one after another, and their provinces in- 
corporated with the British dominion ; so that now England 
rules over 200,000,000 of people in Hindostan. 

2^2. Aside from Colonial history, the most important 
events with which England had to do durinsf 

Other events. , , r i r> , i 

the latter part of the i8th century were the 
events of the French Revolution, — that fearful maelstrom 
of war that drew into its vortex all the nations of Europe. 
The part which England played in this mighty epoch will, 
however, be best related in the special section on the French 
Revolution. (See p. 409.) 

2. PRUSSIA AND FREDERICK THE GREAT. 

253. We are now to trace the rise of Prussia, that great 
Subject treated power which in our own times has been able 
°^- to bind together the long-dissevered German 

states into the mighty German Empire. 

254* O^'^ of the numerous states of the German Empire 
Beginnings of duHng the Middle Ages was the Electorate of 
Prussia. Brandenburg, Lying alongside of this was a 

small territory known as the Duchy of Prussia.* While 
Elizabeth sat on the throne of England, the Electors of 
Brandenburg added this duchy to their dominions. By 

* The name Prussia is derived from the word Borussi, the name of a 
fierce Slavonic tribe. 



PRUSSIA AND FREDERICK THE GREAT. 397 

good management on the part of its rulers Brandenburg 
grew apace ; and finally, towards the close of the 1 7 th cen- 
tury, the Elector Frederick III. bargained to lend the Em- 
peror aid in the War of the Spanish Succession, provided he 
obtained the crown of Prussia. The first year of the i8th 
century (1701) marks the change of the last Elector of 
Brande?ibing, Frederick III., into the first King of Prussia, 
Frederick I. 

255. The second king of Prussia was Frederick William, 
(1713- 1740). He was a stern old tyrant and Frederick 
semi-savage, but he was at the same time a ^ii^iam. 
rigid economist ; and he set himself to drilling and disciplin- 
ing a magnificent army, which in the hands of his son was 
to be the instrument for raising Prussia to the position of 
one of the greatest military powers in Europe. 

256. This son was the famous Frederick II., or, as history 
calls him, Frederick the Great. He was born in Youth of 

T^,. -iiiri -r-.i"i Frederick the 

1 7 13. By his tyrannical old father, rrederick Great. 
William, he had been kicked and raved at and fed on bread 
and water, till he finally ran away, and was with great diffi- 
culty saved from the death of a deserter. This was not a 
promising training ; but there was the true marrow in the 
young man, so he bided his time, while in the mean time 
he played on the flute, and scribbled books, and kept up a 
correspondence with Voltaire and others of the new French 
school of philosophy. 

257. In the year 1740 rough old Frederick William died, 
and his son came to the throne of Prussia. He He ascends 
had as a boy had the dream of being a great *^^ throne, 
soldier: he was now the possessor of a full treasury and a 
well drilled army, — so he looked about for a war. 

258. In the very year in which Frederick came to the 
throne the Emperor of Germany, Gharles VI., . ^^ 

,., -r-iT -^M^ • r^^ 1 1 Maria Theresa. 

died. His daughter Maria Theresa, by a law 

called a Pragmatic Sa?ictio?i, became ruler over all the 



39^ MODERN HISTORY. 

hereditary dominions of Charles, namely, the kingdoms of 
Hungary and Bohemia, the Archduchy of Austria, etc. — 
and she was called by her highest title, that of Queen of 
Hungary, The Empire, of course, was at the disposal of the 
Electors. No sooner had Maria Theresa come to power, 
than various princes began to lay claim to the whole or 
part of her dominions. 

259. Among others Frederick set up a claim to part of 
Frederick's the territory of the helpless princess : to wit, 

claim and ^., . , ."^ . . ^ F ^ \ ' 

conduct. Silesia, claiming it as part of the ancient do- 

minion of the House of Brandenburg. It was a mere pre- 
text, without show of justice ; but Frederick marched an 
army into Silesia, won two victories (1741, 1742), and Maria 
Theresa, anxious to concentrate her energies against her 
other foes, made over Silesia to him. This is known as 
the First Silesiaii War. 

260. Hostilities were renewed in 1744 ; but nothing came 
Second war, c>f this Second Silcsian War, though France and 
and sequel. England wcrc both in it on opposite sides, and 
it was closed the next year. Eight years of peace followed, 
and this breathing-space was devoted by Frederick to the 
good of Prussia, which, under his able administration, con- 
tinued to rise in importance. 

261. And it needed all the strength he could husband ; 
Nature of the for in 1756 there broke out another and far 

Seven Years' ^ ,, , , r^ t^ » rz' 

"w&r. greater contest, called the Seimi Years war. 

This time Frederick was not to blame for drawing the sword ; 
for though, in fact, he drew it first, the war was strictly de- 
fensive. Austria formed a secret treaty with France, and 
another with Russia, Poland, Saxony, and Sweden, for the 
partition of Prussia. England, then engaged in the great 
Colonial wars with France, took sides with Prussia ; — and 
so it was that Frederick, unaided save by the half-hearted 
support of Great Britain, had to confront more than half of 
Europe, arrayed in arms to overwhelm him. 



PRUSSIA AND FREDERICK THE GREA7\ 399 

261. The story of how the Prussian captain-king bore 
up against this " sea of troubles " that raged all around 
his country forms one of the most wonderful The war and 
chapters in military annals. Some of the main '*^ results, 
points are stated in the note below ; * but, leaving aside de- 
tails here, we may say that after the conflict two results 
appear : i. That in Frederick himself was one of the world- 
soldiers, one of the men that make epochs in the history 
of war and of nations : 2. That in Prussia a new power had 
arisen. In fact, henceforth Prussia takes rank as one of the 
Five Great European Powers^ and the Holy Poman Empire 
is practically divided into the two great monarchies of Austria 
and Prussia^ which till the Fre?tch Revolution held the balance 
of power on the Continent. 

* First Campaign, 1756. — Frederick assumed the aggressive, know- 
ing that a league had been formed against /i/'m. At the head of 70,000 
men he invaded Saxony, took Dresden, and defeated the Austrians at 
Lo'wositz. At Dresden Frederick seized the state papers, and found 
therein the whole story of the secret plot for the partition of Prussia : 
these papers he published, in order to defend his action in beginning 
hostilities. 

Second Campaign, 1757. — This campaign, the greatest of the seven, 
began with the invasion of Bohemia by Frederick. Near Prague he 
won a great battle over the Austrians, but he suffered a severe defeat 
at Kolin. Then a succession of terrible misfortunes burst over the 
head of the Prussian king, — Russians breaking through his eastern 
frontier, Swedes in Pomerania marching' on Berlin, his friends the Eng- 
lish driven in disgrace from Hanover by the French, who were rapidly 
advancing into Saxony. It is said that at this time Frederick meditated 
suicide, such were the disasters that overwhelmed him But presently 
there came a turn in the tide The Russian army of invasion was re- 
called, owing to the illness of the Empre:>s F^lizabeth ; Frederick, taking 
heart again, dashed into Saxony with only 20 000 men, and at Rossbach 
overwhelmed an Imperialist and French army of three times the force. 
Another crushing defeat to the Austrians took place a month afterwards 
at Leuthen, in Silesia. The immediate result of these victories was the 
recapture of Silesia, which had been overrun by the Austrians, and the 
exaltation of Frederick to the greatest fame. London was a blaze of 
illumination in his honor, and the English Parliament voted him ;i^ 700,000 
a year 



400 MODERN HISTORY. 



262. It is estimated that, counting the losses on all 
Prussia's loss- sides, a million of men fell in the Seven 
ration. Years' War. Prussia bore her own sad share 

in this sacrifice, while those who survived found themselves 
in a wasted land. Frederick now set himself to repair the 
terrible mischief done by the war. He gave corn for food 
and seed to the starving people, and rebuilt the houses 
that had been burnt. Silesia was freed from the payment 
of all taxes for six years, and other districts received the 
same boon for a shorter time. Rewards to his living 
soldiers and pensions to the widows and children of the 
dead were bestowed with liberal hand. Measures were 
taken for the revival of commerce ; and though these meas- 
ures were not always wise (the debasement of the coin by 

Third and Fourth Campaigns, 1758- 1759. — In the third campaign 
the cause of the Prussian kingwas on the whole triumphant : he still held 
Sile-ia, and the French had been driven out of Germany. But in the 
fourth year of the war blow after blow fell heavily on Frederick At 
Kunersdorf. in Brandenburg, he was terribly defeated by the Russians, 
who had again taken the field against him. Dresden was taken and 
held by the Austrians, and an army of nearly 20,000 Prussians, hemmed 
in by Austrian bayonets among the passes of Bohemia, was forced to 
unconditional surrender. 

Sixth Campaign, 1760. — Frederick, desperate, stood at bay, sur- 
rounded by a gigantic host of 200,000 men. One tremendous dash he 
made at Torgau, where he won a victory that saved the Prussian mon- 
archy from annihilation. But he could do no more than watch his foes 
from a strong camp in the heart of Silesia. The outlook was so dis- 
couraging that again, we are told, the thought of suicide crossed Fred- 
erick's mind. 

Last Year, 1762- 1763. — A death saved him Elizabeth of Russia 
died in January, 1762, and her cousin Peter III., Frederick's warm ad- 
mirer and friend, not only made peace, but sent him aid. The example 
set by Russia was followed by Sweden Then came the Peace of Paris 
(1763), concluded by England and France, so that Austria and Prussia 
fronted each other alone. However, these Powers also signed the 
Peace of Hubertsburg (1763), and this ended the Seven Years' War. 
This treaty left the face of Germany on the whole unchanged, — Prussia 
intact and still holding Silesia. 



PRUSSIA AND FREDERICK THE GREAT. 40 1 



the king's order is a notable instance of financial unwis- 
dom), yet, on the whole, Prussia flourished gready under 
Frederick. The best proof of this is, that, having inherited 
a kingdom with a population of two millions, and six mil- 
lion thalers in the national treasury, he died leaving seventy- 
two millions of thalers, and a contented and happy popula- 
tion of over six millions. 

263. Frederick the Great died in the year 1786 ; and it 
may be noticed as an interesting fact that his character of 
last great public act was the conclusion, in Frederick. 

that year, of a commercial 
treaty with the then infant 
Republic of the United 
States of America. He 
was in his seventy-hfth 
year at the time of his 
death, and had reigned 
forty-seven years. He was 
a great soldier, of daring 
courage in battle, of quick 
and fertile genius in diffi- 
culties, of most elastic 
spirit in the hour of de- 
pression. He gave him- 
self litde trouble respect- 
ing the justice of his un- 
dertakings ; but he was 
distinguished from the 
common herd of conquerors by having one fixed object, — 
to make his country one of the great powers of Europe. 
Carlyle selects him as a hero for the characteristic reason 
that " he managed not to be a liar and a charlatan, as the 
rest of his century was." And certainly, as compared with 
his royal contemporaries, the Georges of England and the 
Louises of France, he challenges our admiration for his 
consummate ability, if he cannot claim our love as a man. 




Frederick the Great. 



402 MODERN HISTORY. 



3. THE RISE OF RUSSIA. 

264. In the history of Europe down to the beginning of 
Russian ques- the 1 8th century Russia is a blank. Why is 
tion stated. ^^^5 ? The stock to which the Russians be- 
long, the Slavic race, is inferior in capacity to no other 
member of the Aryan family. Moreover, Russia early 
started on the path of civilization. The foundation of the 
kingdom was laid by the Norseman Ruric in the 9th cen- 
tuiy, and in the loth century the Russians were Christian- 
ized, adopting the faith of the Greek Church. 

265. The explanation of why no progress was made is 
Reason of fouud in the fact that Russia lies directly ex- 
wardness. poscd to the attacks of those fierce Mongolian 
savages who, from their hive in Central Asia, were wont to 
pour themselves in devastating tides into Europe. From 
these inroads the Slavic land had repeatedly suffered, when, 
in the 13th century, it was completely overrun by the Tar- 
tars of Cjenghis Khan. For more than two centuries Russia 
was held in bondage by these savages, while the Poles and 
Lithua'nians hemmed her in to the west, so that she was 
quite cut off from any part in European affairs. 

266. The deliverance of Russia from Tartar supremacy 
Progress of was duc to Ivau Vasilovitz, who became czar^ 
Russia. Qj. emperor, about the same time that Queen 
Elizabeth ascended the throne of England. Russia was 
now a powerful state, but it was cut off from the Baltic by 
the Poles and Swedes, and from the Black Sea by the Tar- 
tars, who held the Crimea. However, the close of the 17th 
century saw the appearance of a ruler who was to give Rus- 
sia for the first time a place in the states-system of Europe. 
This man was Peter the Great. 

267. Peter was a son of the czar Alexis, called the Good 
Peter's biog- (^645 - 1 676), and the father of this Alexis was 
raphy. ^ certain Michael Romanoff, who in 1613 was 



THE RISE OF RUSSIA. 403 

made czar : from him the present royal family springs (the 
old line of Ruric then ceasing). Peter was born in 1672, 
and ten years later was crowned, along with his half-brother 
Ivan ; but the latter, a poor deformed idiot, was only a 
name in the state. Having baffled the ambitious scheme 
of his half-sister Sophia, a bold and beautiful woman who 
acted as regent, the young Peter, when only seventeen, 
seized alone the scepter (1689). 

268. At this time he was a tall, rough youth, sensual and 
debauched, but showing at the same time a tre- His person 
mendous fund of native energy and will. And, ^^^ ^'"^^• 
strangely enough, this energy and will seemed to aim, not 
at what is ordinarily with such characters the object of am- 
bition, namely, war and destruction, but at the elevation of 
his people by means of those peaceful creative arts that are 
the basis of all national prosperity. Wars he waged, indeed, 
but he did not make war for war's sake : he made it because 
he was forced to do so in carrying out his pacific plans. 

269. The first great idea that possessed Peter seems to 
have been that the absence of any available 

, - ., ^ - , His first idea. 

seaboard was necessarily a source of weak- 
ness to his country. Seizing Azof from the Turks (1696), 
he obtained a footing on the Black Sea ; and, having accom- 
plished this, he resolved to form a fleet sufficient to overawe 
that power. 

270. With this view the young monarch, leaving the gov- 
ernment in the hands of an old noble, traveled His visit to 
to Holland and England for the purpose of *^^ West, 
learning the art of ship-building, and of acquiring whatever 
knowledge might be necessary for his great undertaking. 
At Saardam in Holland he worked as a common ship-car- 
penter, receiving his wages every Saturday night, and every 
day boiling his own pot for dinner. At the same time he 
picked up rope and sail making, blacksmith's work and 
some surgery, though afterwards his surgery was mostly of 



404 MODERN HISTORY. 

a very rough kind.* In England, whither he went in 1698, 
he was heartily received by King William III. ; but, instead 
of passing his time in the usual entertainments of princes, 
he busied himself visiting dock-yards and looking into all 
the details of naval construction. 

271. Returning home in the first year of the i8th cen- 
His social tury, Peter began his social reforms. Dressing 
reforms. himsclf in a brown frock-coat, he insisted on all 
Russians, except the priests and the peasants, casting off the 
long Asiatic national robe. He laid a tax on beards. He 
changed the titles and lessened the power of the nobility. 
He tolerated all sects, and gave free circulation to the Bible. 

272. To obtain an outlet on the Baltic was now Peter's 
, , object. The opportunity seemed to be excel- 

Peter's plan. , ^ ^ / , . . 

lent. Ihree years before this, in 1697, the 
king of Sweden had died, leaving as his successor a youth 
but fifteen years of age. He seemed to be helpless ; so, 
in kingly fashion, Russia and Denmark and Poland entered 
into a league for the dismemberment of his kingdom. But 
this was not to be so easily done ; for the youth was Charles 
XII., that astonishing meteor that for a decade swept across 
the northern sky. 

273. Charles XII. allowed his foes no time to carry their 
Campaign of P^^t into cxccution. Moviug swiftly, first upon 
Charles XII. Denmark and then upon the Polish army at 
Riga, he speedily rid himself of two of his three enemies. 
Next he turned upon a Russian force of 80,000 men that 
Was besieging Narva, a small town near the Gulf of Livonia, 
and within the Swedish dominion. His own force was only 
a tenth that of the Russians ; but with his gallant Swedes 
he flung himself with such impetuosity on the enemy that 
he utterly overthrew the Russian army, capturing most of it, 

* Thus, on his return to Russia he found that his guards had made a 
rebellion, which, however, had been quelled. With his own hand he 
beheaded twenty of the wretched guards in one hour. 



THE RISE OF RUSSIA. ' 405 

with its artillery and baggage (November 30, 1700). Peter 
was not at the battle. " Ah," said he, when the news came 
to him, " these Swedes, I knew, would beat us, but they will 
soon teach us how to beat them ! " 

274. The same marvelous fortune attended the Swedish 
warrior in the operations of the next four years Proposes to in- 
in Poland and Saxony. His success quite in- ^^^^ Russia, 
toxicated him, and he prepared to invade Russia. Peter 
offered terms of peace, but Charles declared that he could 
negotiate only at Moscow. When the czar was informed 
of this haughty answer, he coolly replied, " My brother 
Charles affects to play the part of Alexander, but I hope he 
will not find in me a Darius." 

275. The strategy adopted by Peter for the purpose of 
meeting this invasion was simple and sensible. Peter's strat- 
The advance of the Swedes on the direct line ^^y- 

to Moscow was prevented by the destruction of the roads 
and the desolation of the country. After enduring many 
privations Charles turned off towards the U'kraine, whither 
he had been invited by Mazep'pa, a Cossack chief who had 
thrown off his allegiance to the czar. The convoy and re- 
inforcements which Charles had expected from Lithuania 
were intercepted by the Russians ; but, notwithstanding 
these misfortunes, he continued the campaign even in the 
depth of winter, though the season was so severe that two 
thousand men were at once frozen to death, almost in his 
presence. 

276. At length Charles laid siege to Pultowa, which con- 
tained one of the czar's principal masrazines. 

Pultowa. 

The town was obstinately defended, and 
Charles was wounded in the heel while viewing the works. 
Before he recovered he learned that Peter was advancing 
to raise the siege. Leaving 7000 men to guard the works, 
the Swedes advanced to intercept the Russians, accom- 
panied by their king borne in a litter. The battle was 



406 MODERN HISTORY. 

decided by the Russian artillery, for Charles in his rapid 
march had abandoned his cannon. In less than two hours 
the Swedish army was ruined, and Charles, with only 300 
followers, sought shelter within the frontiers of Turkey 
(1709). 

277. To pursue the subsequent career of Charles XII. 
Close of would be aside from our purpose here. Suf- 

Charles XII.'s ^ . , , . • , • 

career. ficc it to say that tliis astonishing man ran a 

course of nine years longer, — a course of strange ups and 
downs, and was finally killed by a cannon-ball while besieg- 
ing the castle of Fredericshall in Norway, 17 18. 

" His fall was destined to a barren strand, 
A petty fortress, and a dubious hand ; 
He left the name at which the world grew pale 
To point a moral or adorn a tale." * 

278. To Russia the \vinnings of the struggle with Sweden 
Gains to Rus- wcrc most important, for Peter gained Livonia 
^'^- and the other Swedish possessions east of the 
Baltic, so that now he had a water-front on that sea as well 
as on the Euxine. Later in his reign he extended his bor- 
ders on the other Russian sea, the Caspian, at the expense 
of Persia. 

279. In the intervals of the war Peter the Great was not 
His pacific forgetful of his pacific ambition. In 1704 he 
measures. founded the city of St. Petersburg,! at the 
mouth of the Neva, on the Gulf of Finland (a region won 
from the Swedes), and he made it his capital in place of the 
old metropolis, Moscow. In the internal state of the coun- 
try he made many changes : he remodeled his army, created' 

* Dr. Johnson, Vanity of Human Wishes. The fine passage begin- 
ning with " On what foundation," etc., and of which the four lines above 
quoted form the conclusion, may be read for a summing up of the whole 
career of the " Madman of the North." 

t So called after the name of his patron saint and name-father, the 
Apostle Peter. 



THE RISE OF RUSSIA. 407 

a navy, improved the administration of justice, enlarged the 
commerce, encouraged manufactures, cut canals, built roads, 
and introduced the printing-press. It was the task of a 
giant to lift the great savage land into a position among 
the civilized nations, but Peter did it. 

280. This greatest of the czars died at the beginning of 
the year 1725, of fever caught by wading knee- Death and 
deep in Lake Ladoga, to aid in getting off a character, 
boat which had stuck on the rocks. His character is well 

described by Voltaire : " He gave a 
polish to his people, and was him- 
self a savage ; he taught them the 
art of war, of which he was himself 
ignorant ; from the sight of a small 
boat on the river Moskwa he cre- 
ated a powerful fleet ; he made him- 
self an expert and active shipwright, 
sailor, pilot, and commander \ he 
Peter THE Great. changed the manners, customs, and 

laws of the Russians, and lives in their memory as the 

' Father of his Country.' " 

281. The history of Russia from the time of Peter the 
Great down to the close of the century may be peter' 
rapidly sketched. During the greater part of 
this time the throne was filled by women. There was first 
his widow, named Catherine L, who continued the policy 
of her great husband. Her reign, however, lasted but for 
two years, when she was succeeded by Peter H., the grand- 
son of Peter the Great. His death, three years afterwards, 
brought to the throne a niece of Peter the Great, named 
Anne. Her rule lasted for ten years, till 1 740. Then came 
Peter the Great's daughter Elizabeth, who filled the throne 
till 1762. Elizabeth left her empire to her nephew, who 
became Peter HL In a few months, however, he was mur- 
dered, and his wife was raised to the throne as Catherine II., 
surnamcd the Great (1762). 




s suc- 
cessors. 



408 MODERN HISTORY. 

282. Catherine II. was, next to Peter the Great, the ablest 
Doings of ^"d most successful of the Russian autocrats. 
Catherine. gy j^gj- yigorous generals, Potem'kin and Su- 
warrow \soo-dr'n)\^ she won greatly from the Turks, and 
achieved the conquest of the Crimea, thus getting rid of 
the last trace of the old Tartar dominion, and at the same 
time obtaining free access to the Black Sea. 

283. But Catherine II. won still more by her share in 
Partition of what is Called the Partition of Poland^ though 
Poland. ^i^g means by which she won was a gross vio- 
lation of the law of nations. The scheme for dismembering 
the kingdom of Poland is supposed to have originated with 
Frederick the Great of Prussia, and he and Catherine of 
Russia and the Empress-Queen Maria Theresa, Queen of 
Hungary, entered into it. The Poles were so weakened 
that they could make no resistance, so the royal robbers 
each seized certain provinces in 1772. 

284. In 1792 another partition was made by Russia and 

Prussia only, and in 170s Poland was destroyed 

End of Poland. , , ■^' • i , • , •. 

altogether as an independent nation, and its 
remaining territory was divided among its three neighbors. 

"Oh ! bloodiest picture in the book of time ! 
Sarmatia fell, unwept, without a crime." 

Wicked as was this assassination of a nation, the accession 
of territory to Russia was of immense ini|5ortance to the 
empire, and " brought that nation into the middle of the 
continent and into the thick of European affairs." 

285. Catherine II. died in 1796. She was succeeded by 
Catherine's her SOU Paul ; but he was an eccentric, half- 
successors, crazy creature, and when he was murdered, in 
1 80 1, his son Alexander I. came to the throne. Now this 
Alexander I. was the grandfather of the present Alexander 
XL, Emperor and Autocrat of all the Russias. 



THE FRENCH RE VOLUTION 



409 




MlRABEAO. 



The GuiLLoTiNH. 



Robespierre. 



4. THE FRENCH REVOLUTION. 

286 " After me the deluge " {Aprh moi kdiluge), sighed 
Louis" XV. to his courtiers as he lay on his Re„ark^of 

''^^^^fiirretC^/r-s^sT^ci^^^^^^^^ 

^T dl c^e -tL dreadful deluge of fire and blood 
known in history as the French Revolution We re 
touto learn about the causes, the leading facts, and the 
results of this tremendous explosion. , , 

287 The student will remember that the close of the 
reign of Louis XIV. (.715) saw France in an p„„ce^and 
exhausted and a demoralized condition. Un- 
exnausieu diiu i-,7Te - 177A things went 

rior Ills successor, Louis AV. (1715 '//4A a 
rl' badt^orse.' The court, ruled by t^- Pain.ecHavor- 
ites of the licentious king. Pompadour and Du Bam, ex 
h sted every shape of costly debauchery. The last sou 
taxation was wrung from the starving peasant And to 
add to the awful burden, a continued series of wars was car 
ried on for the gratification of a profligate ambition, and 
sometrmis apparently for no better reason than to afford 



4IO MODERN HISTORY. 

employment to a numerous body of idle nobility, who dis- 
dained to follow any other profession than that of arms. 

288. Louis XV. died in 1774, leaving his throne, with all 
Accession of its embarrassments, to his grandson Louis 
Louis XVI. XVL, a kind-hearted, amiable, pious young 
man, but utterly destitute of the mental qualities calculated 
to fit him for the arduous position he was called upon to oc- 
cupy. Then twenty years of age, he had been already four 
years married to Marie Antoinette, the beautiful daughter 
of Maria Theresa. Surrounded by eager courtiers, and sa- 
luted for the first time as king and queen, they fell upon 
their knees and cried, weeping, " O God, guide us ! Pro- 
tect us ! We are too young to reign ! " 

289. And they were indeed too young and too inexperi- 
Bad condition cnccd to deal with a problem whose solution 
of France. would havc demanded the supreme genius and 
iron will of a Cromwell or a Napoleon. For already signs 
of dissolution and prophecies of woe were abroad. France 
had been sowing the wind, and was now to reap the whirl- 
wind. Long wars and the lavish expenditures of the last 
century and a half had reduced the finances of the king- 
dom to a deplorable condition. The public credit was at 
its lowest ebb. The treasury presented a deficit of two 
hundred millions of dollars. The people were overtaxed, 
restless, and half savage. Many abandoned agriculture 
and sought a precarious subsistence by smuggling and spo- 
liation. 

290. A spirit of political and religious infidelity per- 
Further de- vaded the middle and lower classes. The 
*^'^^' throne had been too long degraded by excess 
and tarnished by scandal to command the aiTection of the 
multitude. The nobles were scorned rather than rever- 
enced, and not even the ancient stronghold of terror re- 
mained. The clergy, by their cruelties, their ignorance, and 
tlieir debaucheries, had alienated the great body of the peo- 



THE FRENCH REVOLUTION. 4I I 



pie, and brought down upon themselves the satire and in- 
dignation of the enlightened. In Voltaire \i>ol-tare'\ Rous- 
seau \roo-so'\ Helvetius, and Condillac \con-de-ydk!^ the new 
opinions had found their chief advocates and leaders. 
Before their sweeping censures so-called Christianity, Loy- 
alty, Tradition, had been reduced to powder. They were 
speedily reinforced by all the intelligence of the age. A 
host of distinguished men hastened to their support, and 
the innovators carried all before them, — leveling good as 
well as evil, and sapping the foundations of truth, mercy, 
and chivalry, while compassing the necessary destruction of 
falsehood, despotism, imposition, and vice. 

291. The grand problem was the finances. The first 
financial minister of the reign was Turgot Sjilr- Financial 
go\ an able man of extensive views, who pro- "measures, 
posed gradually to sweep away the abuses which weighed 
so heavily upon the kingdom ; but his reforms alarmed the 
courtiers : they persuaded the king that such experiments 
were dangerous, and Louis, always obedient to the last 
adviser, dismissed Turgot in 1776. Two new ministers soon 
gave way to Necker, a Geneva banker of good reputation 
and the best intentions. His maxims were the reduction 
of expenditure, so as to avoid all necessity of loans, except 
on extraordinary occasions, and the maintenance of public 
credit, so that money might be borrowed when requisite. 
This clever banker held his office for five years, and in 
1 78 1 was able to produce a balance sheet which showed 
a revenue larger than the expenditure. But his accounts 
angered the nobility by revealing that they paid no taxes ; 
so Necker was harassed into a resignation. 1 

292. It was during the administration of Necker that 
France became embroiled in a war with Eng- Effect of the 
land, caused by the former country's siding with American war. 
the Americans in the struggle for independence. To have 
aided in founding a great democracy across the Atlantic 



412 MODERN HISTORY. 

was a subject of pride to the French ; but the sight of their 
handiwork reminded them painfully of the position still 
occupied by themselves. Democratic doctrines from Amer- 
ica found their way into the dull head of the French peas- 
ant, who could not help realizing the injustice that gave 
two thirds of the soil to the nobility (who numbered only 
about 150,000 souls) and to the priests, both of which 
orders were exempt from taxes, while he and his twenty-five 
millions of brother serfs, owning but one third of the land, 
had to bear all the burdens of the state. 

293. The war with England only added to these bur- 
Administra- dcns, while the finances, no longer in the 
tionofCaionne. skilled and prudent hands of Necker, were 
managed by a brilliant financial juggler named Calonne 
\cal-o}i'\ who borrowed on every side without one thought of 
repayment. For a time this went on ; but the day came 
when even Calonne could get no more. It was necessary 
to devise some new expedient, and the one adopted was 
the assembling of the Notables. 

2.^1^. The Assembly of the Notables is the name given 
Meeting of the to a Convention of the chief nobles and magis- 
Notabies. tratcs of France called to consult on public 

affairs. Such a meeting had in the previous centuries been 
occasionally called by the kings in emergencies, and much 
was now hoped from it by the nation. It met in February, 
1787 : there were 137 members. Calonne wanted to make 
up for the deficiency of revenue by a land-tax ; but his pro- 
posal was rejected by these lords of the soil, and the As- 
sembly was dissolved in May. Then came the dismissal of 
Calonne, who was soon succeeded by Brienne, Archbishop of 
Toulon. But Brienne could do nothing to stem the rising 
tide, so Necker was recalled in 1788. 

295. Necker, as his first act, proposed to convoke a 
States- General, an assembly having the rights of confer- 
ring and petitioning. There had been no meeting of 



THE FRENCH REVOLUTION. 413 

such a body since the days of Richelieu, the last being 
in 1614. Since that time the existence of Necker'sprop- 
a constitution had been almost forgotten, for osmon. 
the three kings that intervened had caused a virtual suspen- 
sion of ever}^ power except their own. But the convocation 
of a States-General, where, as in an English Parliament, 
every class of society had a voice, was hailed as an ac- 
knowledgment that power proceeded from the people. 

296. All over France the elections went on, and no man 
who wore a decent coat was refused leave to 

,-_, .,,. - , - The elections. 

vote. Ihree millions or the people sent up 
their deputies — lawyers, doctors, priests, farmers, writers 
for the press — to the great States-General, in which for the 
first time during nearly two centuries the down-trodden 
Commons were to sit in council with the nobles and the 
high clerg)\ There were 1200 representatives, and they met 
in the king's palace at Versailles \j)er-sdlz''\ on the 5th of 
May, 1789. 

297. It soon became evident that the real strength of the 
States-General lay in the Commons, or, as the The commons 

T-, , , ,^ 7^ r • / assert them- 

French named them, the Tiers Etat \_k-airz selves. 
a-ia'\ i. e. the Third Estate.* They numbered as many mem- 
bers as the noblesse and the clergy together. At the very 
outset came the trial of strength. It had not been decided 
whether the nobilit}', the clergy, and the Tiers Etat should 
meet in one chamber, or be organized into two : it had been 
assumed that the latter would be the plan. But the depu- 
ties of the Tiers Etat would not submit to be separated 
from the Upper House. Sitting in their own chamber, they 
invited the nobles and the clergy to join them ; and when 
the invitation was scornfully rejected, they constituted 
themselves the National Assembly, by which name we 
shall now have to call the body. 

* The Clergy and the Nobility constituting the First and the Second 
Estates. 



414 MODERN HISTORY. 

298. In vain did dukes and archbishops complain of this 
King and unexampled usurpation of supreme power. 
Commons. "Y\vQ. king was undecided and alarmed, and in 
this condition he took a suicidal step. He prorogued the 
Assembly for a month, and stationed soldiers at the door 
to prevent the members from going in. Their president, 
Bailly, when crossed bayonets refused them admittance, 
led them to the Tennis-court {Jeu de paufjie) of the palace, 
where they swore a solemn oath not to dissolve their Assem- 
bly until they had formed a constitution for France, The 
firmness of the Tiers Etat gave them the victory. A large 
secession took place from the other orders, — most of the 
clergy and forty-seven of the noblesse^ with the Duke of Or- 
leans at their head, joining the Commons in their hall. 

299. There was Lafayette, a pure patriot, but not a man 
Three charac- of Commanding ability. And there sat Mira- 
^^'■^- beau \7ner-ii-bd\ the wickedest and most de- 
bauched aristocrat in France, but a man of pre-eminent 
power and eloquence. Different from him, and near him, was 
the small person and commonplace countenance of Robes- 
pierre \robz-pe-air'\ — grinning, smirking, and contemptible, 
— but who ere many months were over was to thrill with 
terror the stoutest hearts. 

300. The Court, thus foiled and acknowledging its own 
Action of the humiliation, adopted again an unpopular 
Assembly. coursc : Ncckcr was banished, and troops were 
gathered around Versailles. But the Assembly proceeded 
with their business in the most radical fashion. They abol- 
ished all privileges of birth or profession ; taxes were imposed 
on all equally ; the public debt was consolidated, the press 
was declared free, and political and religious liberty was 
guaranteed. These were great steps in advance. 

301. Meanwhile all Paris was in a state of insane com- 
Madness of motion. Clubs, meetings, associations of all 
^^'■'^- kinds, kept every quarter of the great city astir. 



THE FRENCH REVOLUTION. 415 

Enthusiasm grew with every fresh event, and already the 
thirst for blood, which so strongly distinguishes the Pari- 
sian mob, began to fire the hearts of the rabble. A single 
spark exploded the mine. There came a report that the 
soldiers were on the march to dissolve the National Assembly. 
The people rushed to the defence, guns were procured, and 
tricolored flags hoisted on public buildings. Rioting and 
pillage went on in various quarters, and the more so that the 
guards, when called out to disperse the mob, refused to fire. 
Finally on the 14th of July a definite aim was given to the 
wild intoxication of the people by a cry which suddenly 
went through Paris, " Let us storm the Bastile ! " 

302. This ancient and fortified prison was at the time 
defended by a feeble garrison of eighty-two capture of 
invahds and thirty-two Swiss, under a stanch ^^^ Bastiie. 
old soldier, the Marquis de Launay. The wild multitude 
r.iged around its walls, but the governor utterly refused to 
surrender. Then a siege of four hours began. The be- 
siegers were joined by the French guards, — cannon were 
brought, — De Launay capitulated, — the drawbridge was 
lowered, and the Bastile taken : taken by a lawless mob of 
maddened men and women, who forthwith massacred the 
governor, his lieutenant, and some of the aged invalids, — 
freed the few prisoners found in the cells, — set fire to the 
building and razed it to the ground, — garnished their pikes 
with the evidence of murder, and so paraded Paris. 

303. From this moment the people were supreme. The 
troops were dismissed from Versailles, Necker 

^ The sequel. 

was recalled, the king visited Paris, and was 
invested at the Hotel de Ville with the tricolored emblem of 
democracy. Then began what is called the first emigration^ 
— that is, a general and most cowardly, as well as most 
imprudent, flight of the nobles, who from beyond the fron- 
tiers witnessed the revolution in ignoble safety. The king 
and his family remained at Versailles, sad at heart amid 



41 6 MODERN HISTORY. 

their presence-chambers and garden-groves, four leagues 
from volcanic Paris. 

304. Hither, from time to time during the few days that 
Provincial ris- intervened between the 14th of July and the 
^"S^- 4th of August, came strange tidings of a revo- 
lution which was no longer Parisian, but national, — tidings 
of provincial uprisings, of burning chateaux, of sudden ven- 
geance done upon unpopular officials, tax-gatherers, and 
the like. It was plain that the Nobility must bow its head 
before the five and-twenty savage millions, make restitution, 
speak well, smile fairly, or die. 

305. The memorable 4th of August came, when the no- 
Sweeping re- blcs did this, making ample confession of their 
forms. weakness. The Viscount de Noailles [/wd/] 
proposed to reform the taxation by subjecting to it every 
order and rank, by regulating it according to the fortune 
of the individual, and by abolishing personal servitude and 
every remaining vestige of the feudal system. An enthusi- 
asm, which was half fear and half reckless excitement, 
spread throughout the Assembly. The aristocrats rose in 
their places and publicly renounced their seignorial dues, 
privileges, and immunities. The clergy abolished tithes 
and tributes. Yet all this availed but little now : it should 
have been done many months before, to have weighed with 
the impatient Commons. The people scorned a generosity 
that relinquished only what was untenable, and cared little 
for the recognition of a political equality that had already 
been established by the pike. 

306. And now another false step was made by the king. 
Another false The popular demonstrations had so alarmed 
step. ^he little court yet hanging around Louis at 
Versailles, that they persuaded him that he must have mili- 
tary assistance. The regiment of Flanders and a body of 
dragoons came; and on the 1st of October the newly 
arrived officers were invited to a grand banquet by their 



TIfE FRENCH REVOLUTION. 417 

comrades of the royal body-guard. After the dinner was 
removed and the wine had begun to circulate, the queen 
presented herself with the Dauphin in her arms, and her 
husband at her side. Cries of loyalty and enthusiasm 
burst forth, their healths were drunk with drawn swords, 
the tricolored cockades were trampled under foot, and 
white ones, emblematic of the house of Bourbon, were dis- 
tributed by the maids of honor. 

307. The news of this fatal evening flew to Paris. Ex- 
asperated by the arrival of the soldiery, by the jhe mob goes 
insults offered to the tricolor, and by hunger, *° Versailles, 
the mob rose in fury, and with cries of " Bread ! bread ! " 
poured out of Paris and took the road to Versailles. A 
strange, fearful mob it was, — thousands of women of the 
wildest appearance, maddened furies, followed by thousands 
of haggard, cruel, revengeful men. Reaching Versailles 
th-ey sent messages, threats, and deputations to the king 
and to the Assembly. They had their smooth speeches 
from the king and their fair assurances from the Assem- 
bly ; but they still lingered about Versailles, and though a 
great rain came on they camped for the night around the 
palace. 

308. Towards morning a grating that led into the grand 
court was found to be unfastened, and the mob Attack on the 
rushed in. On they went across the marble p^'^^^- 
court and up the grand staircase. The body-guards de- 
fended themselves valiantly, and raised the alarm ; the 
queen fled, half dressed, to the king's chamber, while the 
" living deluge " poured through galleries and reception- 
rooms, making straight for the queen's apartments. The 
royal family listened tremblingly to the battering of the axes 
on the yet unbroken doors. At this moment of peril came 
Lafayette, with the national guard of Paris, and succeeded 
in clearing the palace, and in rescuing for the time the hap- 
less group in the king's apartments. 

18* 4A 



41 8 MODERN HISTORY. 

309. The crowd demanded that the king should come 
Return to ^o Paris ; and amidst a procession of market- 
Paris, women, at a foot pace, with human heads 
borne aloft on pikes before the carriage, the unhappy Louis 
and Marie Antoinette were conducted to the capital (so- 
called Joyous Efitry^ October 6, 1789), and placed more 
immediately under the eyes of the revolutionists. 

310. During all this time the emigration of the noblesse 
Conduct of the went on. Assembling upon the German fron- 
emigrants. |.jgj. towards the Spring of the year 1791, they 
formed themselves into an army under the command of 
the Prince de Conde', and adopted for their motto, " Con- 
quer or die " ; yet they neither conquered nor died, but 
merely hovered along the Rhine, fearful of endangering the 
personal safety of the king by any aggressive measures. 

311. The king's position was by this time not only hu- 
The king's miliatiug, but perilous. Such had been the de- 
*^'S^*- sertions, that now Louis and the queen, with 
their two children and the king's sister, were the only mem- 
bers of the royal family left in Paris. Flight had long been 
talked of, frequently delayed ; but at last everything was 
arranged for, and Monday night, June 20, 1791, was fixed 
for the attempt. Eluding the vigilance of the guards, they 
stole out of the palace in disguise, and entered a carriage- 
and-four at the gate St. Martin. 

312. The flight was successfully made as far as Va- 

rennes ; but there, while stopping to chansre 

His capture. , ., , • • j ^i 

horses, the kmg was recognized. I he na- 
tional guard flew to arms ; an aide-de-camp came up in 
breathless haste, seeking the fugitives and bearing the de- 
cree of arrest, — the horses' heads were turned towards 
Paris, and the last chance for life and liberty was past. 
After a return-journey of eight days the king and his family 
re-entered the capital, and were received in profound silence 
by an immense concourse. More closely guarded, more 



THE FRENCH REVOLUTION. 419 

mistrusted than ever, he was now suspended by the Na- 
tional Assembly from those sovereign functions which he 
had so long ceased to exercise or possess. 

313. In the mean time the articles of a new constitution 
had been drawn up, putting France on the The new con- 
basis of a constitutional monarchy. Its arti- stitution. 
cles were publicly ratified by the royal oath and signature, 
on the 14th of September, 179 1. 

314. The National (or, as it is sometimes called, the 
Cotistitiienf) Assembly having sat for three The new as- 
years, now passed a resolution dissolving it- ^embiy. 

self (September 29, 1791). Its place was taken by a new 
body, called the Legislative Assejnbly, which began to sit on 
the I St of October in the same year, 

315. By this time three distinct factions were clearly 
marked out, and between them there was to The three fac- 
be battle to the death. First were the Feiiil- *^°"^- 

Icuiis, who adhered to the law and the constitution ; they 
formed the ghost of the vanished National Assembly, which 
had established a constitutional monarchy, and they sat on 
the right of the tribune. The Girondists, or Moderate Re- 
publicans, formed the second party. Mirabeau would have 
been their leader, and might have wielded their influence to 
some effect ; but that great man had died a few months 
before this time. Occupying the highest seats in the hall, 
and therefore called the MountaiJi, sat the Red Repub- 
licans, chiefly members of the Jacobin and Cordeliers 
Clubs ; whose rallying cry was, " No king ! " The list of 
this third party contained those terrible names — Robes- 
pierre, Danton, Marat [m'd-ra] — the very sound of which 
suggests the thought of blood. 

316. The spirit of revolution which had set France in a 
blaze menaced every throne, and it behooved Foreign inva- 

^ . sion and its 

the kings of Europe to see to their own safety, effect 
Armies were raised by Austria and Prussia to defend the 



420 MODERN HISTORY. 

royal cause, hostilities were threatened, and the Legis- 
lative Assembly declared for war, April 20, 1792. Soon 
afterwards a force of 70,000 Prussians and 68,000 Austri- 
ans and emigrant French royalists crossed the frontier. 
Perhaps no effort on the part of his most eager enemy 
could have so injured the cause and periled the safety of 
Louis XVL The Assembly replied by fitting out an army 
of 20,000 national volunteers, and giving the command to 
General Dumouriez \iiu-nioor-yea'\ who in several actions 
repelled the invaders. 

317. In the mean time, enraged at this interference of 
Feeling to- ^hc foreign powers, and fluctuating (accord- 
wards Louis, jj^g |-Q |-jjg reports from the scene of war) be- 
tween apprehension and exultation, the Parisian mob and 
the extreme Republican party came to regard the king with 
increased enmity. He was named in the Assembly with 
v^iolent opprobrium ; and the mob, incited to fury by Robes- 
pierre and his associates, demanded the deposition of 
Louis. 

318. On the loth of August the palace of the Tuileries 
^ttack on the \twetl-reez''\ was attacked. The national guards, 
Tuileries. ^j^q j^^^^ been appointed to the defense of the 
^ourt-yard, went over to the insurgents, and pointed their 
cannon against the chateau. Only 300 Swiss guards were 
(eft ; and they, overpowered by numbers and fighting gallant- 
ly to the last, were literally cut to pieces. The king and 
his family escaped to the Legislative Assembly, and on the 
14th were removed to the old Temple prison. 

319. From this time that awful period known in his- 

tory as the ReiQn of Terror may properly be 

Reign of Terror. .\ , , ,, ,, i • , , • i t^ 

said to have begun. " My advice, said Dan- 
ton, " is to confound the agitators, and to stop the enemy 
by striking terror into the royalists." This advice produced 
the imprisonment of hundreds of persons considered not 
sufficiently zealous in the revolutionary cause. A tempo- 



THE FRENCH REVOLUTION. 42 1 



rary success won by the Prussians in the capture of Verdun 
was the death-doom of the unfortunate prisoners. The 
news was brought in the night, and next day (September 2, 
1792) the prisons were cleared by the death of the captives. 
Three days did the horrible scene of bloodshed continue, 
and the victims displayed the most touching traits of resig- 
nation and heroism. This wholesale massacre is known as 
the Massacre of September. 

320. On the 2ist of September, 1792, the Legislative 
Assembly, having sat for the allotted space of xhe new gov- 
one year, was succeeded by a new body of ernn^ent. 
representatives, known by the name of the National Conven- 
tion. 

321. The constitutional party of the old Legislative As- 
sembly (the Feuillafits) had disappeared in the The parties 

, r , T. 1 • 11^ and their lead- 

maelstrom of the Revolution, and the Conven- ers. 
tion was divided between the Girondists and the Mountain. 
In the Chamber the Girondists had the majority ; but the 
Mountain, led by Danton, Robespierre, and Marat, had the 
great revolutionary advantage of being on the aggressive ; 
and they had, besides, the support of all the sans-culottes^ or 
rabble of Paris. Their policy was simple and well defined, 
— the death of the king, and the establishment of a Re- 
public. 

322. To proclaim the Republic was the first act of the 
Convention. Then came the trial of the king. Trial of the 
On the 13th of November, 1792, Louis XVL, ^'"^• 

who had been four months a prisoner in the Temple, ap- 
peared before the tribunal of his enemies. The charges 
brought against him were based principally upon some 
papers that disclosed the intrigues of the Court against the 
Revolution, and on others that seemed to indicate a knowl- 
edge of the proceedings in favor of the royal cause in for- 
eign countries. Some writers have pointed out that the 
deposition of the king (which had already taken place when 



422 MODERN HISTORY. 

the Republic was proclaimed) should have barred all these 
accusations. But this was not a time either for legal tech- 
nicalities or calm judgment to have any weight. Robespierre 
appealed to the will of the people. " What have not the 
friends of liberty to fear," said he, " when they see the ax 
unsteady in your grasp, and detect a regret for your past 
fetters, even after your emancipation ? " 

323. Louis stood before his judges with a firm counte- 
The trial con- iiancc. He required counsel, and when one 
tinued. (j£ those he selected dechned the task, Males- 
herbes \jnalz-erb'\ who had in the early part of his reign 
been one of his ministers, came forward to undertake his 
master's defense. Said he : ** I have been twice called to 
assist at his council-table, when such a summons was an ob- 
ject of ambition to every one. I owe him the same service 
now that it is a function that many persons would consider 
dangerous." After an able defense by Malesherbes, a long 
and earnest discussion arose. Robespierre said, " The last 
proof of devotion which we owe to our country is to stifle in 
our hearts every sentiment of sensibility." On the side of 
the Girondists vigorous efforts were made in the king's de- 
fense ; but finally the discussion was closed, and three 
questions were put to the vote, — the guilt of Louis, the ap- 
peal to the people, and the penalty. 

324. The king by a unanimous vote was pronounced 

Sfuilty, and the appeal to the people rejected ; 

The verdict. ^, -^' . ^ y . ^, ^. n-i j 

the question of the penalty to be milicted re- 
mained. But the orators did not deliberate alone ; for 
around the doors of the Assembly was a savage mob, heap- 
ing threats upon all who dared to be merciful, — so that 
even those who most desired to save the king became 
frightened. For ten days the voting went on, and when 
with a voice of emotion the President of the Convention, 
Vergniaud [vern-yo'] declared the result, he found that, out 
of 721 votes, the sentence awarded by a majority of 26 was 
deaih^ — death within twenty-four hours ! 



^ 



THE FRENCH REVOLUTION. 423. 

325. Louis requested the attendance of a priest (the 
Abb^ Edgeworth) to administer the offices of 

,. . , 1 . . , . 1 , A sad scene. 

religion to nnn in his hist moments : the re- 
quest was granted. A last interview witli his family, from 
whom he had for some time been separated, was granted 
also ; but the keepers required that the meeting should 
take place in a hall which had a glass door giving a view of 
the interior. The king entered the apartment at eight, 
and walked about for some time in expectation. At half 
past eight a door opened, and the queen, the king's sister 
Elizabeth, and his two children entered, casting themselves 
with sobs into his arms. After a long and sad conference 
Louis rose and promised to see them again on the morrow : 
in spite of this promise, which was not to be fulfilled, the 
farewell was heart-rending. 

326. Towards midnight the king slept soundly, continuing 
to do so till five in the morning, when he re- Execution of 
ceived the sacrament from the priest. At eight l°"'s xvi. 
on the morning of January 21, 1793, the officers entered; 
the procession moved between two lines of armed men, and 
arrived, at half past ten, at the Place de la Revolution. 
There in a large open space stood the scaffold with the fatal 
guillotine,* surrounded by the guards and a rabble uttering 
ferocious cries and yells. Louis attempted to speak : " I die 
innocent ; I pardon my enemies ; and as for you, unfortunate 
people — " but the drums drowned his voice, and while the 
confessor poured into his ear the words, " Son of St. Louis, 
ascend to heaven ! " the king ceased to live. 

327. This act of regicide was equivalent to a declaration 
of war with the whole of Europe. England, Foreign af- 
Holland, Spain, Germany, Sweden, and finally f^>"- 

* " La guillotine," as the French call this deadly machine, was in- 
vented about 1755 hy Dr. Guillotin, whose name in the French femi- 
nine form it bears. It is a large loaded knife set in a wooden frame, 
and its action is instantaneous. 



424 MODERN HISTORY. 

Russia, flew to arms. Almost at the same time the French 
province of La Vendee broke into open insurrection, and 
the Repubhc found itself called upon to suppress disaffec- 
tion at home, to organize armies, and to defend France 
from 350,000 of the best troops in Europe, now approaching 
the frontiers upon every side. A levy of 300,000 men was 
accordingly decreed, and Dumouriez marched into Holland, 
where he won several victories ; but soon after, becoming dis- 
gusted with the excesses of the republican government, he 
went over to the enemy's camp. Other generals, however, 
took his place, and the war went on in the Austrian Nether- 
lands, along the Rhine, and in Italy. Though sometimes 
beaten, the French were on the whole victorious, and were 
able all the time to make head against the allies. The en- 
ergy displayed by the leaders of the Revolution was truly 
amazing. 

328. These achievements of the French armies abroad 
Excesses of the wcrc, howcver, almost effaced by the disgrace 
revolutionists, ^^ich fell upon the name of the Republic in 
consequence of its atrocities at home. Appropriately com- 
mencing with the abolition of religious belief, the worship 
of Reason, and the suppression of the Sabbath, the savage 
man who ruled the whirlwind passed on to a saturnalia of 
blood. The queen, Marie Antoinette, the king's sister 
Elizabeth, and hundreds of persons of rank and station 
went to their death. The victims of the guillotine in Paris 
amounted to seventy or eighty a day, and a sewer was con- 
structed for the express purpose of carrying off the human 
blood. The Girondists were slain without mercy. Two 
hundred thousand suspected persons were cast into prison, 
and thence day by day brought out in tumbrels to the 
place of doom. It is shocking to record that women sat 
and knit as calmly as in the pit of a theatre while the fear- 
ful tragedy was being played out before their eyes. 

329. During the height of the Reign of Terror all the 



\ 



I 



THE FRENCH REVOLUTION. 425 

powers of the state were centered in a small body of Jaco- 
bins called the " Committee of Public Safety," The leaders 
foremost among whom were Danton, Robes- struggles, 
pierre, and Marat. Marat met a deserved death at the 
hands of Charlotte Corday, a young woman who came to 
Paris from Caen for the express purpose of assassinating 
him, — a purpose which she accomplished in his bath. 
Danton, thinking that the revolution had gone far enough, 
wished to bring back something like order. But the " sea- 
green " Robespierre had another thought ; he determined 
to destroy his former friends, that he might stand alone 
on the dreadful eminence of terror. He succeeded in his 
attempt, and, as we shall see, was himself swallowed up in 
the same abyss. 

330. In the spring of the year 1794 Robespierre be- 
came absolute ruler of the Convention, and he Robespierre 
determined to exterminate the leaders of all "^^^ter. 
parties. He therefore denounced on the one hand what 
were called the anarchists as enemies to the true welfare 
of the state, and on the other the moderates as lukewarm in 
the cause of liberty. Among the latter were Danton and 
his party: the leader himself, with most of his followers, 
went to the scaffold. Robespierre ruled by murder, and 
between June 10 and July 17, i794, he sent 1285 persons to 
the guillotine in Paris. 

331. At length, terrified by the rapidity, the impartiality, 
and the number of Robespierre's condemna- ^^^ reaction, 
tions the members of the Convention re- 
solved to rid themselves of the tyrant. No man's life was 
certain for a day. No man knew but that his name might 
be found upon the next list of victims. On the 27th of 
July, 1794, Robespierre was defied in the tribune, and with 
his brother and some of his accomplices arrested. A con- 
test between the Assembly and the Jacobins of the city 
ensued : after many times inclining the other way, it was 
decided in favor of the Convention. 



420 MODERN HISTORY. 

332. Robespierre, with some of his fellow-demons, had 
Death of taken refuge in the Hotel de Ville. In despair 
Robespierre, j-^g attempted self-destruction with a pistol, but 
only fractured his jaw. He and his fellows were cast 
rudely into a cart and carried to the guillotine (July 28, 
1794), where they suffered a part of the punishment due to 
their accumulated crimes. 

333. The Reign of Terror was over. It is true that 

some of the Jacobin members of the Convention 

Better days. • i i i • • i c ^ 

contmued to advocate the prmciples of the 
revolutionary tribunals, and the sans-culottes attempted one 
or two insurrections. But the reaction had fairly set in. 
The people awoke as from a hideous dream. The prisons 
were opened, the living Girondists were recalled from exile, 
the laws of Robespierre were repealed, and the churches 
were again devoted to the worship of God. 

334. While these things were passing in Paris, the cam- 
Foreign sue- paigns against the allies, who had all along 
cesses. \^^^i the field against the French, were emi- 
nently successful. All Flanders, the frontiers of Holland, 
and many strongholds on the Rhine, as also several places 
in Spain, submitted in 1794 to French commanders. And 
early in 1795 the French general Pichegru marched into 
Holland and took possession of Amsterdam. The stadt- 
holder fled to England, and up to the close of the revolu- 
tionary wars Holland remained a dependency of France. 
Indeed, so successful were the French in the field, that in 
the year 1795 both Prussia and Spain made peace with them. 

335. In this same year, 1795, France received a new con- 
The new gov- stitution, — the third since 1789. Two legis- 
ernment. lativc couucils wcrc decreed, — the Ajicients 
and the Five Hundred. The executive power was vested in 
five Directors, and hence the name of the Directory is often 
given to this phase of French government. The Directors 
were to be chosen by the two councils, and each Director 
was to be in turn President for three months. 



7'HE FRENCH REVOLUTION. 427 

336. The Directory was not established without a strug- 
gle. The inhabitants of Paris were dissatisfied conflict for 
with the change proposed by the Convention ; p>^wer. 

so the citizens by their Sections, or municipal divisions, 
joined battle with the Convention, supported by 5000 regu- 
lar troops. The Sections, joined by the National Guards, 
mustered 40,000 men, and had at" first the advantage. The 
Convention, however, gave command of the regular force to 
a general named Barras. He nominated as his second in 
command a young Corsican officer of artillery named Napo- 
leon Bonaparte, of whom we shall soon hear a great deal. 

337. Bonaparte pointed his cannon down all the streets 
by which the Tuileries could be approached, Triumph of 
and when the assailants attempted to advance *^^ Directory, 
he mowed down the mass with grape-shot (October 4, 1795). 
This settled the matter : the Convention triumphed, and the 
new constitution and Directory stood on firm ground. 
With this ended the French Revolution, and here opened 
the wonderful career of Napoleon Bonaparte. 

338. Napoleon Bonaparte was of Italian blood and name, 
and was a native of Corsica. Only two months Youth of 
before the birth of Napoleon (which took place Napoleon. 

in the year 1769) Corsica had given up its long struggle for 
independence and was incorporated with France, — so that 
he chanced to be born with all the privileges of French citi- 
zenship. He was the second son of Charles Bonaparte, a 
lawyer. At the age of ten he was sent away from home to 
the French Military School at Brienne. Here he spent 
over five years. At the end of that time the official report 
made of him was as follows : " Distinguished in mathemati- 
cal studies, tolerably versed in history and geography, much 
behind in Latin, belles-lettres, and other accomplishments ; 
of regular habits, studious and well-behaved, and enjoying 
excellent health." In 1785 he received his commission as 
a sub-lieutenant of artillery. 



4^^ MODERN HISTORY. 

339. When the Revolution broke out Napoleon took the 
popular side. He first comes to notice in connection with 
First appear- the sicgc of Toulon. That city had made a 

ance as a ,- . . 

soldier. royalist uprising in 1793, and the garrison was 

aided by English and Spanish ships. The Republican gen- 
eral, Barras, made very little progress till Napoleon dis- 
covered a mode of converging his artillery-fire on the forts in 
the harbor, and the result was that Toulon soon fell. Barras 
recognized the ability of the young artillerist, and accord- 
ingly, when he was appointed to the command of the troops 
of the Convention to oppose the Paris Sections, he asked 
for Lieutenant-Colonel Bonaparte as his assistant. The 
part which Napoleon played on that occasion we have 
already seen. 

340. In the new government of the Directory, which we 
His advance- saw formed in 1795, Barras was one of the 
ment. ^^^ Directors. Now in the spring of 1796 
the Republic organized three great armies to oppose the 
allied enemies of France. One army was given to General 
Moreau \mo7--o'\ another to General Jourdan'. The third, 
the army of Italy, through the friendly influence of Barras 
was conferred upon the young Corsican officer. He was 
twenty-six years of age, and had but just married Jose- 
phine, widow of the Count de Beauharnais \bo-harn-a'\ 
when appointed to this important command. 

341. A strict following of chronology would require us 
Napoleon's re- here to enter upon the narrative of the cam- 

lations with • i -ht i i • x i 

the Revolution, paign that Napolcon now made in Italy, and of 
his subsequent campaigns, up to the close of the i8th cen- 
tury. But it will be much more convenient to treat the 
Napoleonic wars as a whole, which we shall be able to do 
in the next chapter. And, indeed, it is the appearance of 
Napoleon on the stage, rather than the mere date of the 
year 1800, that marks the close of the period under review. 
The booming of the cannon with which, on that October 



1 



PROGRESS OF CIVILIZATION. 429 

day, in the year 1795, ^^ stayed the on-coming of the 
Sections and secured the victory of the Directory, was the 
death-knell of the Revolution, and announced a great era 
of French, and indeed of European, history, in which him- 
self was for twenty years to be the central figure. France 
had waded through revolution to a republic, but it was only 
to find herself in the hands of a master more despotic than 
any king that had ever sat upon her throne. 



5. PROGRESS OF CIVILIZATION. 

342. The details already given under the topics em- 
braced in this chapter show that the i8th character of 
century was a period of wonderful changes, — *^^ century. 

a time when old ideas and old institutions were swept away 
in a manner that had never happened in any previous time. 

343. The great characteristic of this period is the ad- 
vance of democratic ideas. These ideas were influence of 
first promulgated in systematic form in France, ^'■^"'^h writers. 
where about the middle of the i8th century a series of 
remarkable writers arose to doubt and question all existing 
beliefs and things. There were wits and philosophers and 
economists in this school ; and its leaders were Voltaire, 
Rousseau, Montesquieu, Diderot, Condorcet, and the En- 
cyclopedists. They attacked the State and the Church 
with bitter wit and telling arguments. They were not 
always wise men, nor were their motives always noble ; but 
they did a needed work in what was, perhaps, the only way 
possible. They voiced a passionate desire, that swelled in 
the hearts of all the peoples, for those " inalienable rights " 
of which kings had robbed them. 

344. These ideas, J:hough first proclaimed as theory in 
France, were to find their earliest practical Democracy in 
embodiment in America. England itself was A'^^^'^^- 
astir with the new thought, and in our own country was a 



430 MODERN HISTORY, 

constituent part of the English people, whom the circum- 
stances of colonial life had obliged in a great measure to 
exercise self-government, — so that, of all parts of the 
world the American colonies were the ripest for democracy. 
The influence of the French school of political and social 
philosophers upon the founders of our Republic is readily- 
traceable, and the Declaration of Independence draws some of 
its inspiration from Rousseau's Contrat Social. 

345. While France by her ideas influenced America, the 
Influence of rcflcx influence of America on France was pro- 
France, digious. Here in the Republic of the United 
States was a living embodiment of the gospel of democ- 
racy. Here was a great self-ruling nation, — a government 
of the people, for the people, and by the people. French 
armies and fleets had fought to establish this government, 
and the reports from across the Atlantic, and the living 
voice of those who had shared the conflict, set the blurred 
brain of every poor French serf into activity. 

346. The result of this ferment was the French Revolu- 
Phiiosophy of tion, — that savage uprising of a people against 
Revolution. the abuscs of feudalism and the divine right of 
kings. That this deluge swept away much that was good 
cannot be doubted ; yet it is equally certain that all the 
crimes and atrocities of the dreadful period between 1789 
and 1795 were far more than counterbalanced by the per- 
manent gains which liberty then made. 

347. The influence of the French Revolution spread 
Influence of throughout all the nations of Europe. Even 

the revolution , '^ , t • i i 

generally. where there was no great political change 

there was a wide social change ; and we may say, gen- 
erally, that since that great popular upheaval there has 
been no part of Europe where the people have been so 
utterly down-trodden as they were before. If all the glit- 
tering dreams of French Liberie^ Fraternite^ and Egalite 
were not destined to be realized, one immense and perma- 



PROGRESS OF CIVILIZATION. 43 1 

nent gain there was : it was acknowledged that the people 
have rights, and ever since that time there have been slow 
yet steady advances towards the embodiment of these rights 
in the constitution of society and nations. 

348. The literature of the i8th century is distinctively 
the literature of wit, which glitters in all 

^ • ^ r • • i 11 Literature. 

kinds of composition, — letters, pamphlets, 
lampoons, essays, novels, and poetry. Nearly every cele- 
brated writer had the talent of exciting laughter not only as 
a conspicuous talent, but as his most conspicuous. Pious 
Addison and pious Cowper had it, surly Dr. Johnson, good- 
natured Goldsmith, courtier Voltaire, and rustic Burns. 
Another century of ridicule may not occur again in history, 
but it was needed. Institutions, manners, and habits had 
become ridiculous and vicious, and they required to be 
laughed out of the world. (For the most eminent writers 
of the i8th century see "Great Names," pages 437, 438.) 

349. In pure philosophy the progress was not specially 
marked. In Endand Locke's Essay on the ^^., 

^T J 711 1 • Philosophy. 

Hu77ta7i Understand nig had at the time a great 
repute ; but the book has not held its place. Bishop 
Berkeley propounded a form of idealism, and Reid on the 
other hand put forth his system of Common Sense. The 
contributions of Hume have probably had a more lasting 
influence than those of any contemporary English phi- 
losopher. French philosophy was almost wholly of a 
negative and destructive character, — and hence had but 
a temporary influence. Far deeper were the metaphysical 
speculations which now began to engage the attention of 
some profound German philosophers. Among these the 
greatest name is that of Kant, whose system laid the basis 
of all subsequent German metaphysics. 

350. The fine arts were cultivated assiduously during 
this century. It was now for the first time 

-' • • r Fine arts. 

that England began to have native painters 01 



432 MODERN HISTORY. 

some eminence and originality. The chief names in the 
English school are Gainsborough, Sir Joshua Reynolds, 
and Benjamin West, the last of whom was born in this 
country. But the most notable fact in the artistic history 
of this period is the great advance in the art of music, 
which now began to take embodiment in truly grand com- 
positions. It is sufficient to mention the names of Handel, 
Haydn, and Mozart. These great composers all belonged 
to the 1 8th century, and they were the fathers and founders 
of modern music. 

351. The progress of science during this century was 
Science. most Striking. It was at this time that chem- 
chemistry. jg^j-y fjj.g^ ^qq]^ x?iV^ as a scicncc. Black dis- 
covered carbonic acid gas ; Cavendish, the composition of 
water, and the constituents of the atmosphere ; Priestley, 
oxygen and more new substances than any other chemist ; 
while the great French chemist, Lavoisier \rd'Vwdz-yea'\ sys- 
tematized and generalized all previous discoveries, adding 
also other important contributions. 

352. The science of electricity may be said to have 

orio^inated at this same time. Benjamin 

Electricity. •' 

Franklin did much for this branch of investi- 
gation, both by theory and by experiment. He demonstrated 
the identity of natural and artificial electricity. Then came 
an accident that made the electric telegraph possible in our 
own time. The wife of Galvani, a professor in Bologna, 
had skinned some frogs, and noticed the twitching of the 
leg of one of them when the nerve came in contact with a 
piece of metal, — and this was the first observed manifesta- 
tion of galvanism. To produce it Volta devised his pile, 
but in time a battery of plates of zinc and copper was 
found most convenient. 

353' To enumerate even a tithe of the great scientific 
Other discov- discoveries that render the i8th century illus- 
^""* trious is impossible here. It was then that 



PRO GJ^ ESS OF CIVILIZATION. 433 

the basis of modern geology was laid. Botany, from a 
jumble of pre-existing observations, was by the genius of 
Linnaeus first brought into systematic form. Comparative 
anatomy was created. The weight, form, and size of the 
earth were determined. Laplace collected and elaborated 
the mathematics of astronomy in his Mecatiique Celeste ; Sir 
William Herschel discovered Uranus (1781), and resolved 
the Milky-Way into distinct and separate stars. Adam 
Smith, in his Wealth of Nations^ created the science of po- 
litical economy, and thereby rendered mankind one of the 
greatest services. 

354. Striking as are these advances of pure science, we 
are even more impressed by the mighty practi- Great inven- 
cal applications in the arts of industry which ^io"^. 
science received at this time. At the right moment, when 
human undertakings became too vast for the hand and for 
primitive implements, Brindley, Watt, and Arkwright, and 
other great inventive geniuses, devised machinery to meet 
the requirements of the new industrial era. Navigable ca- 
nals began to be made, and the genius of James Brindley 
proved that in the construction of these highways the most 
formidable engineering difficulties might be overcome. The 
manufacture of iron received an immense impetus by Roe- 
buck's process of smelting by coal instead of charcoal. 
Machinery was applied to spinning and weaving cotton. 
The spinning-jenny was invented by Hargreaves in 1765, 
the spinning-frame by Arkwright in 1768, and the mule-jenny 
by Crompton in 1775. But the crowning achievement of 
the age was that of the Scotchman, James Watt, who though 
not actually the inventor of the steam-engine, so improved 
it as to place a new power in the hands of mankind. Prob- 
ably no material service of equal value was ever rendered to 
humanity. Its use as a motive-power at once revolution- 
ized all the processes of industry, and it soon drew after it, 
though not till early in the next century, steamboat naviga- 

19 BB 



434 MODERN HISTORY. 

tion, railroad traveling, and a thousand other beneficial 
applications. 

355. The following minor though important details of 
Other inven- invention and industry will be found of in- 
tions. terest : — 

Piano-forte: invented by an organist of Dresden in 1717; the instru- 
ment was not made in England until 1766. 

Caoutchouc, or india-rubber : was brought to Europe from South 
America in 1 730. 

Stereotyping : William Ged of Edinburgh first practiced the art of 
printing from stereotype plates. 

Chronometer: John Harrison (1736 -1742), in response to a Par- 
liamentary offer of a reward of ;^ 20,000, first constructed a clock 
which kept perfect sidereal or solar time, — invaluable in determining 
the longitude of ships at sea. 

Umbrellas: in 1778 Joseph Hanway introduced one into England, 
probably from Spain. 

Vaccination : Jenner made the first experiment of inoculatng a child 

from a cow-pox pustule in 1796. 
Hydraulic Press: invented by Bramah, an Englishman, in 1786; by 

this machine a slender column of water may be made to raise the 

heaviest weights. 
Gas-lights: used by Murdoch in Cornwall in 1792, and in the foundry 

of Watt and Bolton in 1798 ; but gas was not used for street-lighting 

until this century. 
Cotton-gin: Eli Whitney, an American, in 1793 made a machine for 

separating the fiber of cotton from the seed, and cleansing it with 

ease ; this invention enormously increased the demand for cotton. 
Lithography: was invented in Germany in 1796. 

356. All great inventions are essentially democratic, 
Improvement that is, they tend to the benefit of the whole 
of the masses, people. We therefore mark, during the i8th 
century, a perceptible rise in the condition of the European 
masses. It is true, there was a terrible amount of squalid 
poverty and deplorable ignorance, as there still is ; but, as a 
whole, things were on the mend. The poorer classes received 
an amount of consideration which they never knew before ; 



PROGRESS OF CIVILIZATION. 435 

while they inevitably shared in the advantages, improve- 
ments, and inventions created by capitalists, in bringing 
more of the comforts of life within their reach. Public 
libraries, mechanics' institutes, clubs, co-operative societies, 
and Sunday-schools were now first established. It is a fine 
proof of the enlarging humanity of the age, that there now 
arose a considerable number of men who devoted their lives 
to the amelioration of the condition of the poor, the down- 
trodden, and the criminal. John Howard is famous for his 
labors for the reform of prisons in England. Thomas Clark- 
son and William Wilberforce are honored as the leaders of 
the party which did away with the slave-trade in the English 
colonies. Sir Samuel Romilly is distinguished for his 
efforts to improve the English penal laws, at that time the 
most severe in Europe. 

357' It is worthy of note, that towards the close of this 
century men began to lay aside the elaborate Reform in 
fripperies of dress — the hanging cuffs and ^^^^s. 
lace ruffles, the cocked hats, wigs, buckles, and swords — 
that had previously constituted the costume of a gentleman, 
and took to a sensible attire, fit for our work-a-day world. 
Gentlemen turned their attention to more useful occupa- 
tions than roistering, drunkenness, and gallantry. The 
occupation of a merchant or a manufacturer became hon- 
orable, and the morality and decorum of the higher classes 
had a beneficial effect upon the habits of the common 
people. 



436 MODERN HISTORY. 

GREAT NAMES OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. 
PHILOSOPHERS AND SCIENTISTS. 

Swedenborg (1688- 1772), a Swede — distinguished for scientific and 
religious speculations — believed himself favored with special revela- 
tions — wrote voluminously on apocalyptic subjects — his doctrines 
still followed by members of the New Church. 

Benjamin Franklin (1706- 1790), an American philosopher and states- 
man — his public career well known — established the identity of light- 
ning with electricity, and contrived lightning-rods — published two 
volumes of essays, with an autobiography 

Linnaeus (1707- 1778), a Swedish botanist — simplified and popular- 
ized botany — introduced a new system of classification by stamens 
and pistils. 

D'Alembert (1717-178^), an eminent French scientist — principal 
contributor to the famous French Encyclopedia. 

Hunter, William and John (1718- 1783, 1728- 1793), brothers, born 
in Scotland — both distinguished as anatomists — two of the greatest 
surgeons that ever lived. 

Adam Smith (1723 - 1790), a Scotchman — professor in Glasgow 
University — chief work, the Wealth of Nations, by which was founded 
the science of Political Economy. 

Kant (1724- 1804), a German metaphysician of the first rank — his 
great work, The Critique of Pure Reason, which is a review and recon- 
struction of the whole theory of human knowledge. 

Priestley (1733- 1804), by profession a Unitarian minister, but by nature 
a priest of science — discovered oxygen — a voluminous writer — 
sympathized with the French Revolution, for doing which his house, 
library, and valuable apparatus were burned by a mob. 

Galvani (1737- 1798), an Italian physician — discovered that part of 
electricity known as galvanism. 

William Herschel (1738- 1822), a great astronomer — came to Eng- 
land as a bandman in the Hanoverian Guards — improved the reflect- 
ing telescope — discovered Uranus in 1781. 

Lavoisier (1743- 1794), one of the greatest French chemists — de- 
vised the improved chemical nomenclature — first introduced the 
balance into chemical analysis — was guillotined during the French 
Revolution. 

Bentham (1747- 1832), a political philosopher, and juridical reformer — 



1 



GREAT NAMES OF THE i?>Tff CENTURY 437 

one of the deepest thinkers England ever produced — was the author 
of Utilitarianism — chief works, The Principles of Morals and Legisla- 
tion^ and Evidetice and Penal Legislation. 
Laplace (1749- 1827), a celebrated French mathematician — author of 
the Mecanique Celeste, a work that produced as great a sensation in the 
scientific world as Newton's Principia. 

WRITERS. 

Jonathan Swift (1667- 1745), Dean of St. Patrick's, Dublin — an 
eminent political writer — chief work, Gulliver'' s Travels — wrote 
verses also — very sarcastic — died mad. 

Addison (1672- 1719), educated at Oxford — much engaged in politics 
under Anne and George I. — famous for his prose papers in the Spec- 
tator — wrote also Cato, a Tragedy, A Letter from Italy, and other 
poems. 

Alexander Pope (1688- 1744), the son of a London linen-draper — 
wrote good verses at twelve — chief works, the Essay on Man, The 
Rape of the Lock, a short mock-heroic poem, and a translation of 
Homer into English verse — lived chiefly at Twickenham on the 
Thames — deformed, sickly, and peevish. 

Richardson (1689-1761), one of the founders of English novel-writing 

— his chief works, Pamela, Clarissa LLarloive, and Sir Charles Gran- 
dison — they are now regarded as tedious and sentimental. 

Montesquieu (1689- 1755), an eminent French thinker— bom near 
Bordeaux — president in the parliament of that city — chief works, 
Lettres Persannes, Esprit des Lois. 

Voltaire (1694- 1778), the greatest of French wits and satirists — 
author of the Henriade, the only French epic poem — among his 
historical works are the Age of Louis XIV., History of Charles XII. 

— wrote numerous plays and minor poems — lived his last twenty 
years at Ferney in Ain — an enemy of the Christian faith — his 
mission was to destroy. 

Buffon {1707- 1788), born at Montbard in Burgundy — a great natural- 
ist — chief work, his Histoire Naturelle. 

Fielding (1707- 1754), the greatest of the English novelists of the i8th 
century — his chief works, Tom Jones, Jonathan Wilde, and Joseph 
Andrews. 

Samuel Johnson (1709- 1784), born at Lichfield — lived generally in 
London — chief works. The Lives of the Poets ; Rasselas, an Eastern 
Tale ; an English Dictionary ; and a poem called London. 

David Hume (171 1 - 1776), a Scotch philosopher and historian — chief 



438 MODERN HISTORY. 

work, History of England — held the strange doctrine that we can be 
sure of nothing — wrote a Treatise on Human Nature and Essays. 

Rousseau (1712-1778), born at Geneva — son of a watchmaker — a 
skeptic in religious matters — author of many operas and eloquent 
literary works — obliged to leave France on the publication of his 
Contrat Social, an essay which maintains the equal rights of all men. 

Sterne (1713-1768), prince of English humorists — author of Tristram 
Shandy and The Sentime7ital Journey. 

Oliver Goldsmith {1728- 1774), born in Ireland — in early life re- 
garded as an idiot — rose, however, to be a famous writer — best- 
known works, The Vicar of Wakefield, Deserted Village, and She 
Stoops to Conquer — marked by charming simplicity of style, tender- 
ness of sentiment, and racy description. 

Lessing (1729- 1781), a German critic and playwright — chief works, 
Laocobn and the Tragedy of Emilia Galotti — a very profound and sug- 
gestive thinker. 

Edmund Burke (1750- 1797), born in Dublin — a famous orator — 
chief works, A7t Essay on the Sublime and Beautiful and Reflections 
on the French Revolution. 

Edward Gibbon (1737-1794)5 born in Surrey — chief work, The De- 
cline and Fall of the Roman Empire, in six volumes, written in twelve 
years. 

Robert Burns (1759- 1796), an Ayrshire farmer — famed for his lyric 
poems — author of the Cotter's Saturday Night and Tarn O' Shunter. 

Schiller (1759- 1805), a distinguished German poet and prose writer — 
made Professor of History at Jena in 1789 — the great dramatist of 
Germany — chief works, Williatn Tell and Wallenstcin — wrote also 
a History of the Thirty Years'* War. 



ARTISTS. 

Handel (1684- 1759), an illustrious German musical composer — very 
precocious as a boy — visited England in 17 10, and remained there 
during the most of his subsequent life — his most famous oratorios 
are Israel in Egypt, The Messiah, and Judas Maccabceus. 

Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723- 1792), born in Devonshire — the first 
President of the Royal Academy — a famous portrait and historical 
painter — published Discourses on Painting — a great friend of Dr. 
Johnson. 

Thomas Gainsborough (1727 -1788), born in Suffolk — a fine painter 
of English landscapes — lived in Ipswich, Bath, and London. 



GREAT NAMES OF THE \%TH CENTURY. 439 

Haydn (1732- 1809), born near Vienna — a great musical genius — 
father of modern orchestral music — greatest work, The Creation, an 
oratorio. 

Benjamin West (1738- 1820), born in America: President of the 
Royal Academy ; a distinguished historical painter. 

Mozart (1756- 1792), a great German musician — lived much at Vienna 

chief works, Don Giovanni, and the celebrated Requiem, the latter 

written on his death-bed — died of fever, December 5, 1792, aged 36. 

Canova (1757 -1822), a celebrated Italian sculptor — famous for many 
very beautiful statues. 

INVENTORS. 

James Brindley (1716- 1772), native of England — engineer of the 
canal made by Duke of Bridgewater from Worsley to Manchester, and 
hence the founder of canal navigation. 

Hargreaves (1730- 1778), born in England — the inventor of the card- 
ing-machine as a substitute for carding by hand — produced the spin- 
ning-jenny in 1765 — was persecuted by the ignorant of his time. 

Josiah Wedgwood (1731 - I795). the great improver of our porcelain 
manufacture — the son of a Staffordshire potter — inventor of the 
" Queen's ware," made of white Dorsetshire clay mixed with ground 
flint. 

Sir Richard Arkwright (1732- 1792), born at Preston, Lancashire — 
originally a hair-dresser — invented the spinning-frame, by which 
hand-labor is saved in the cotton-mills — hence may be called the 
founder of the cotton manufacture. 

James Watt (1736- 1819), native of Greenock — invented the double- 
acting condensing steam-engine, and applied it to machinery — lived 
first in Glasgow, and then in Birmingham. 

Jacquard (1752- 1834), born in France — at first employed as a plaiter 
of straw — the inventor of the loom for figured weaving - at first en- 
countered much opposition among manufacturers, but his machine was 
soon in great demand. 

Crompton (1753 -1827), the inventor of //^^ wm/^, a machine that greatly 
facilitated the spinning of yarn. 

Robert Fulton (1765- 1815), an American engineer — studied in Eng- 
land the adaptation of the steam-engine to boat-propulsion — applied 
his knowledge in the construction of the first large steam-vessel, 
which made its trial trip on the Hudson in the year 1807. 



440 



MODERN HISTORY. 



CHAPTER V. 
GREAT EVENTS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 




I. THE CONSULATE AND THE EMPIRE. 

358. We have now come to a period that is in the strict- 
The period and ^st scnsc modcm ; for when we speak about 
its character, ^j-^^ Niueteaitli Cmiuf'y, we are speaking about 
our own times, and many persons who are now ahve saw 
the beginning of this period. It is an age crowded beyond 
all the ages of history with great events, — an age fuller, 
richer, and more varied than was ever seen before. 

359. There are several broad facts that stamp the 19th 
century with this peculiar character. Thus : First, the 



THE CONSULATE AND THE EMPIRE. 44 1 

Struggles waged in this period are no longer struggles of 
the kinffs with one another, but struoro-les be- Reasons of 

r 7 ■ , , / rr., • r , this peculi- 

t\ve.&n mo. /iings and the peoples. 1 his tact alone arity. 
has served to work a complete change in the politics of 
Europe. But, secondly, new problems of a political and 
social nature have arisen, such as the questions of democ- 
racy, of representative government, of national unity, of the 
rights of labor, etc. ; and these have made a wonderful 
stirring in the spirits of men. Third, The historic stage is 
enlarged to embrace the whole world, since, on the one 
hand, new nations have arisen in distant and hitherto un- 
settled regions, and, on the other, the old lands of Asia 
and Africa have shown a marked awakening, and have 
again begun to count for something in the world's history, 
after lying dormant for ages. 

360. The first of our topics is the career of Napoleon, 
because for fifteen years he was the great cen- Topic here 
tral figure not only in the history of France, ^''^^ted of. 
but in the history of Europe. 

361. In the last chapter the narrative of events in France 
was brought up to the establishment of the gov- Retrospect of 
ernment under the Directory, in 1795. This is ^^^"ts. 
known as the Constitution of the Year III.* It was the 
third constitution France had received since the outbreak 
of the revolution, the first being the Constitution of 1789 
(a Constitutional Monarchy, formed by the National, or Con- 
stituent, Assembly), and the second, the Constitution of 
September, 1792 (a Republic, formed by the National Con- 
vention). The establishment of the republican government 

* The "Year III.," because the National Convention when, in 
1792, it abolished the monarchy and declared France a Republic, also 
reformed the calendar, decreeing that the new chronologic era should 
date from the establishment of the Republic, September, 1792. The year 
1795 of the Christian chronology was therefore the "Year III." of 
French antichristian chronology. 
I 



442 MODERN HISTORY. 



under the Directory may be regarded in some sense as 
the close of the French Revolution ; for, though there were 
many subsequent changes, all these changes were effected 
by the Govenimeni^ or its armies, without the interference of 
the people. 

362. It has already been seen that the French Revolu- 
Position of tion, which was at first political (that is, con- 
wan cerned with the internal constitution of the 
French government and society), afterwards became military^ 
or aggressive, because the European sovereigns, fearful of 
its consequences in their own dominions, attacked it. The 
year 1792 saw the First of that series of Coalitions against 
France into which nearly all the powers of Europe were 
successively drawn. This war was still going on when, in 
1795, the management of affairs fell into the hands of the 
Directory, under the Constitution of the Year III. In 
the spring of 1796 they fitted out three great armies, and 
the command of the army of Italy was, as we have seen, 
assigned to the young general, Napoleon Bonaparte. 

363. The Republic under the Directory lasted for four 
From Repub- years, 1795 -1799, when it came to an end, 
iate.° °"^"" and the Consulate was established, with Napo- 
leon as First Consul and real master of France. The series 
of events by which this change was brought about is pre- 
sented in the following synoptical view, which shows side by 
side the military operations of Napoleon and the course of 
affairs under the Directory: — 

THE DIRECTORY, 1796 -1799. NAPOLEON, 1796-1799- 

1796: The Directory organized 1796: Italian Campaign. — Na- 

three armies, — two, under Jour- poleon, being appointed by the 

dan and Moreau, to operate Directory to the command of the 

against Germany ; and the third, army of Italy, went, in March, 

under Napoleon, to operate 1796, to his headquarters at Nice, 

against the Austrians in Italy. where he found an ill-fed, half- 

The armies of Moreau and Jour- clad army of 36,000 men. He 



THE CONSULATE AND THE EMPIRE. 



443 



dan, uniting in Germany, forced 
the Austrian army, under the 
Archduke Charles, to retreat 
beyond the Danube. But the 
Archduke Charles then took the 
offensive, and defeated Jourdan, 
while Moreau saved himself 
only by a rapid retreat through 
the Black Forest and over the 
Rhine (August). An ill-concerted 
expedition under General Hoche 
was sent to invade Ireland, 
towards the close of the year. 
He returned without accomplish- 
ing anything. 



1797 : The Directory found itself 
greatly embarrassed in the at- 
tempt to rule France. The elec- 
tions proved more favorable to 
the reaction than to the Repub- 
lic. The government according- 
ly determined to maintain its 
position by force. Troops were 
brought to Paris ; several mem- 
bers of the Five Hundred and of 
the Ancients were arrested, and 
two of the Directors, Carnot and 
Barthelemy, were banished ; so 



was to operate against the Aus- 
trians in Italy, where they had 
a force of 60,000 men. He en- 
tered Italy by a series of skillful 
manoeuvers. " Two standards, 
fifty-five pieces of cannon, five 
victories, 15,000 prisoners, and 
peace with the Piedmontese were 
the results of a campaign of fif- 
teen days." In May Napoleon 
won the brilliant victory of the 
Bridge of Lodi and entered Mi- 
lan. He next attacked the Aus- 
trian army under Wurmser, as 
it marched, divided, along the 
banks of the Lago di Garda, — 
falling upon the divisions sepa- 
rately and overwhelming them at 
Castiglione, Roveredo, and Bas- 
sano (August and September). 
Two months afterwards he had 
to meet, with his feeble remnant 
of an army, a new Austrian force 
of 60,000 under Alvinzi. But 
Napoleon was victorious at the 
bridge of Areola (near Verona), 
and as the result the third Aus- 
triaif army was driven out of 
Italy. 

1797 : Wurmser, beaten the previ- 
ous year, still lay at Mantua, where 
Napoleon besieged him. The 
Austrians sent a fresh force of 
65,000 under Alvinzi across the 
mountains to the relief of Mantua. 
Napoleon, reinforced to 45,000 
men, beat this army at Rivoli 
( Januaiy), and took Mantua. He 
then advanced to the Adriatic, 
captured Venice (in consequence 
of hostilities against the French), 
and overthrew her ancient inde- 



444 



MODERN HISTORY. 



that there were but three Direc- 
tors in place of five. This violent 
movement is called the " Revolu- 
tion of i8th Fructidor" (Sep- 
tember 4, 1797). 



1798 : The Directory had now to 

n:>eet a Second Coalition against 
France, consisting of England, 
Russia, and Austria. Things 
went badly for the French. Italy, 
the reward of Napoleon's bril- 
liant campaign, was recovered by 
the Austrians, aided by the Rus- 
sians. The finances were in the 
worst possible condition. The 
forced conscription ordered by 
the government disgusted all 
classes. The appeal to the mili- 
tary by the Directory made them 
feel their power, and the army be- 
gan to long for the strong hand of 
a martial master. The members 
of the Directory were terrified, 



pendent government. He next 
crossed the Alps through the 
Tyrol into Carinthia and Styria, 
making for Vienna ; but, in con- 
sequence of the French army 
operating in Germany (under 
Moreau and Jourdan) having 
been driven back out of Ger- 
many by the Archduke Charles, 
Napoleon's base of operations 
was threatened by the advance of 
the Archduke Charles into the 
Tyrol. He therefore ceased his 
advance against Vienna. The 
Austrian emperor was glad to 
negotiate for peace. The Treaty 
of Campo Formio (October, 1797) 
ended the campaign. France 
obtained possession of Milan, 
Mantua, Modena, Ferrara, Bo- 
logna, Corfu, Zante, and the 
whole of the Austrian Nether- 
lands. France ceded Venice to 
Austria. 

1798 : E^ptian Campaign. — 

Napoleon, returning at the close 
of 1797 to France after this bril- 
liant campaign, became the hero 
of the French people. The Di- 
rectory began to fear his popu- 
larity and ambition ; but for 
some months he lived very qui- 
etly with Josephine in Paris. 
Napoleon then proposed an in- 
vasion of Egypt as a means oJ 
attacking the commerce and 
power of England in the East. 
The remoteness of the expedition 
influenced the jealous govern- 
ment in giving him the command. 
With an army of 40.000 veter- 
ans, he landed at Alexandria; 



THE CONSULATE AND THE EMPIRE. 



445 



and resigned or changed their 
places. 



1799 : With the armies of the 
Coalition threatening the soil of 
France, and the demoralized 
state of things at home, the mur- 
murs of the people grew louder 
and louder, and the government 
was blamed for having, in what 
was called the banishment of 
Napoleon, deprived France of 
the only man who was equal to 
the occasion. 



and captured it (July). He then 
overthrew the Mamelukes in 
a brilliant action, the " Battle 
of the Pyramids" (July 21), 
which opened to the conqueror 
the gates of Cairo and made 
him master of Egypt. While 
Napoleon was thus engaged, 
the whole of his vast fleet, an- 
chored in Aboukir Bay at the 
mouth of the Nile, was totally 
destroyed by the English fleet 
under Nelson ( ' Battle of the 
Nile," August i). Thus left in 
Egypt with his army, and de- 
prived of the vessels upon which 
he had relied for his return. Na- 
poleon, undismayed, saw the com- 
mencement of his Oriental career. 

1799 : Advancing from Egypt, 
through the desert of Arabia 
Petraea, into Palestine, he took 
Gaza, and at the foot of Mount 
Tabor defeated the Turks with 
enormous slaughter (April) ; but 
he received a check in the siege 
of Acre (defended by the Turks 
and a body of English marines 
under Sir Sydney Smith) ; so that 
he had to return to Egypt after 
losing half his army (July). 
Here, however, he won a bril- 
liant victory over the Turks at 
Aboukir. Finding now that 
matters were in great confusion 
in France, Napoleon, without 
consulting the wishes of the 
home government, left the army 
in command of Kleber, and, em- 
barking secretly on a French frig- 
ate (August), returned to France 
(October). 



44^ MODERN HISTORY. 



364. When, in October, 1799, Napoleon suddenly re- 
Situation on tumed to France from Esrpt, he found the 

return of Na- r rr • • isJ f y ^'^'^^ 

poieon. State of affairs in a condition similar to that 

in which Caesar found Rome on /iis return from Egypt. 
The Republic had broken down. Anarchy prevailed. The 
Directory was without any support in public opinion. To 
concentrate the executive power in a single individual 
needed but one act of daring. Napoleon felt that his was 
the genius to conceive and execute so bold a deed. 

365. The Council of Five Hundred and the Council of 
The loth of Ancients had been summoned to assemble at 

November. g^ q^^^^ |-^^^^J ^^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^^ NoVCmbcr, 1 799. 

On that day General Bonaparte, who had been appointed to 
the command of all the troops, entered the Chamber of the 
Ancients, and protested against the Constitution under 
which they were formed. Leaving the senators overwhelmed 
with surprise, he proceeded to the Council of Five Hun- 
dred, accompanied by about twenty officers and grenadiers. 
He reproached the members vehemently with their misrule, 
refused to swear to the Constitution, and declared the Direc- 
tory an incompetent body. But he was received with cries 
of " Outlaw him ! Down with the Dictator ! " and, unaccus- 
tomed to scenes like this, he retired abashed. Then mount- 
ing his horse. he harangued the troops, who saluted him with 
acclamation. " Soldiers, can I count upon you ? " cried 
the new candidate for empire. " Yes, yes," was the reply ; 
and Murat with a company of grenadiers cleared the hall of 
the Assembly, drowning all remonstrance by the rattle of 
the drums. 

366. The Constitution of the Year IH. was at an end. 
Nature of new What should uow bc the government of France? 
government. There was at that time in Paris a certain Abbe 
Sieyes, a leader in politics, and a great constitution-monger. 
He had a new constitution all ready, and it was adopted. 
The new government was a Consulate. There were to be 



THE CONSULATE AND THE EMPIRE. 447 

three Consuls, — a First Consul, and two assistants. The 
First Consul, it is needless to say, was Napoleon. The two 
other Consuls, Siey^s and Ducos, it is equally needless to 
say, were mere clerks to register his decisions. The First 
Consul was to have the patronage of all the offices of ad- 
ministration, of the army and navy, and of the magistracy, 
the promulgation of laws, and the declaration of peace and 
war. It is true, France preserved the shoiv of a Republic (as 
did Rome under Caesar), and provisions were made in the 
new Constitution, called the " Constitution of the Year 
VIII.," for a senate, legislative body, etc. ; but in reality 
Napoleon was master of France. 

367. Napoleon immediately began to assert his power : 
he placed newspapers under the severest re- Doings of Na- 
strictions, shut up political assemblies through- poi^on. 

out the Republic, and filled France with detectives ; but at 
the same time he improved the financial condition of the 
country by establishing the Bank of France and removing 
restrictions from trade ; while, aware of the national taste 
for show, he gathered into the ball-rooms of the Tuileries 
crowds of handsome soldiers and lovely women. At the 
same time he bent his energies to the raising of troops, and 
a quarter of a million of conscripts were soon marshaled 
beneath his banners. 

368. And he needed these troops ; for, though he suc- 
ceeded in detaching Russia from the Coalition, Hostility of 
yet England rejected his overtures of peace, foreign powers, 
and Austria was still against him. Indeed, England, Aus- 
tria, and most of the European powers still acknowledged 
Louis XVIII. as the only legitimate authority in France, 
and regarded Bonaparte as a usurper. The " usurper," how- 
ever, felt every inch a king when he put on his cocked hat 
and plain gray riding-coat, and summoned his legions to 
follow him once again to victory on the plains of Italy. It 
was here that he proposed to humble Austria. 



448 MODERN HISTORY. 

369. In the spring of the year 1800, having by artful 
The Italian manoeuvers made his enemy beheve that he in- 
campaign. tended attacking Germany by the open passage 
of the Rhine, he secretly led his army across the lofty sum- 
mits of the Alps, and poured like an avalanche into the valley 
of the Po. The Austrians — two or three times his own num- 
bers — had chosen the great level of Marengo as the field of 
battle, and there fell upon the French on the march, June 14, 
1800. It was the most brilliant, but at the same time the 
most bloody, of Napoleon's earlier battles, and resulted in 
the complete defeat of the Austrians, who were driven beyond 
the Adige and the Brenta. Five weeks after he left Paris 
he made his re-entrance into that enraptured city. In No- 
vember of the same year Moreau, whom Napoleon had 
sent to the Rhine, defeated the Austrians at Hohenlinden. 
These successes were followed by the treaty of Luneville, 
February, 1801, by which Austria ceded to France Belgium 
and the left bank of the Rhine. 

370. There was now peace around all the borders of 
Events up to France except the sea. There the English 
the peace, ruled Supreme. In order to destroy this su- 
premacy, Napoleon worked in the Northern courts until he 
united Russia, Sweden, Denmark, and afterwards Prussia, in 
a formidable league against England and her ships. But 
Nelson, sailing into the harbor of Copenhagen, crushed the 
naval power of Denmark in four hours (April 2, 1801). A 
few days earlier Paul of Russia, the enthusiastic admirer of 
Napoleon, was strangled by conspirators. So the giant 
league melted into nothing, and as, at the same time, the 
British overwhelmed the remnant of the French force in 
Egypt, the First Consul was willing to make peace. This 
was arranged between France and England by the Treaty 
of Amiens, March, 1802. The peace was, however, only a 
breathing-spell, for neither party trusted the other. 

371. That Napoleon had the entire confidence of France 



THE CONSULATE AND THE EMPIRE. 449 

was proved by a decree of the senate (August, 1802), pro- 
claiming him First Consul for life ; the votes of Napoleon's 
the people all over the land ratified the change, reforms. 
And his own conduct showed that, to the best of his knowl- 
edge, Napoleon had the good of France at heart. He set 
his best lawyers to work arranging the laws of the land. 
These were simplified and condensed into what is called the 
Code Napoleon^ and France still enjoys the benefit of this 
valued legacy. Every department of government received 
its portion of care ; public instruction, the administration of 
justice, commerce, industry, roads, courts, arsenals, were 
placed on an excellent footing, and the Legion of Honor 
became the first step towards the creation of a nobility. 

372. It was England that again provoked hostilities, by 
issuing letters of marque, and imposing an Hostilities re- 
embargo on all French vessels in English "^wed. 
ports (May, 1803). Napoleon, in retaliation, seized upon 
all English and Dutch subjects sojourning in the territories 
of the Republic. In the months of May and June the 
French armies took possession of Hanover, and menaced 
Engfland with invasion. Russia and Austria then coalesced 
with England. 

373. Napoleon, taking advantage of this crisis, contrived 
with admirable diplomacy to have himself so- Napoleon Em- 
licited by the senate to exchange the Consul- p^''°''- 

ship for the Imperial Crown. On the i8th of May, 1804, a de- 
cree was passed giving him the title of Emperor, and this ele- 
vation was ratified by the popular vote of France, only about 
4000 names being recorded against it. The Pope, Pius 
VII., was invited to France to crown the newly elected Em- 
peror. At Notre Dame, on the 2d of December, 1804, the 
ceremony of coronation was performed. The Pope blessed 
the crown, and Napoleon, taking it from the altar, placed it 
on his own head. He next passed into Italy, similarly to 
ratify his royal authority, and in May, 1805, was proclaimed 



45 O MODERN HISTORY. 

King of Italy, and was crowned at Milan with the iron 
crown of the Lombards. 

374. In order to break the force of the English, Austrian, 
His plan of ^nd Russian coalition, the Emperor Napoleon, 
campaign. '^^ ^j^g spring of 1805, formed a prodigious plan 
of campaign. It was to begin with the invasion of England, 
for which immense preparations were made at Boulogne. 

375. While these were still going on, Napoleon heard 
Operations in that the Austrian army, 260,000 strong, was 
Germany. moving towards the Rhine, and that the Russian 
army was on the march to join it. He immediately left 
Boulogne, and crossing the Rhine with an army of 160,000 
men, advanced to Ulm, where he forced the Austrian Gen- 
eral Mack to surrender with 30,000 men (October, 1805). 
A few days afterward he entered Vienna in triumph. Pass- 
ing beyond the capital to Aus'terlitz he gave battle to the 
united Austrians and Russians, whom he utterly defeated, 
inflicting on them a loss of 15,000 dead, 20,000 prisoners, 
forty standards, and two hundred pieces of artillery, De- 
cember 2, 1805. The next day Francis II. of Austria 
came to the tent of Napoleon to ask for peace. The 
request was acceded to, and a treaty was made ; but it cost 
the House of Hapsburg the loss of twenty thousand square 
miles of territory, and two millions and a half of subjects. 

376. In the mean time an event had happened that for- 

ever put a stop to Napoleon's design of invad- 
gar. .^^^ England. The fleet which the Emperor had 

counted on to protect his transports in crossing to England 
was chased up and down the seas by the British, and finally, 
with the ships of his ally, Spain, was blockaded in Ca'diz. 
Lord Nelson lay hard by, watching them, and when, three 
weeks after Napoleon crossed the Rhine, the French and 
Spanish fleets came out, he attacked them off Cape Tra- 
falgar' (October 21, 1805), and annihilated them. Nelson 
died in the arms of victory, the French Admiral Ville- 



THE CONSULATE AND THE EMPIRE. 45 I 

neuve committed suicide, and Napoleon never again at- 
tempted to dispute the dominion of the sea with England. 

377. This was a severe blow, but the fruits of Napoleon's 
own wonderful victories in Germany remained, changes in 
And one result of his triumph was a great Germany, 
change in the Constitution of Germany itself. Napoleon 
raised the Electors of Bavaria and Wiirtemberg to the rank 
of Kings; and in the following year (1806) the Kings of 
Bavaria and Wiirtemberg, the Elector of Baden, the Land- 
grave of Hesse and the princes formally declared themselves 
separated from the German Empire. They were formed 
into a league called the Confederation of the Rhine., with 
Napoleon as their "protector," and undertook to aid him 
in war with an army of 60,000 men. Francis 11. re- 
signed the Imperial Crown in the same year (August 6), 
taking the title of Emperor of Austria., so that Germany was 
no longer, even in name, a united state acknowledging a 
common head. Thus it was that the " Holy Roman Em- 
pire " came to an end. 

378. At this time Napoleon began to give away king- 
doms. Seizing Naples early in 1806, he made Napoi 
his brother Joseph king. Turning the Neth- king-make 
erlands (" Batavian Republic ") into the Kingdom of Hol- 
land, he placed its crown on the head of his brother 
Louis.* 

379. In the struggle of Germany with Napoleon, Prussia 
had hitherto, out of selfish motives, taken no Napoleon in- 
part. But its turn now came. By gross in- ^^^^^ Prussia, 
suits Napoleon stung the Prussian King, Frederick William 
III., into war, when Prussia was most unfit for a strug- 
gle. Then he threw forward his armies with his usual mar- 
velous promptitude, and in two great battles, — Auerstadt 
\our'stat'\ and Jena \yea'na\ — fought upon the same day 

* The father of the late Emperor Napoleon III. (Louis N;ipoleon). 



eon as a 

r. 



452 MODERN HISTORY. 

(October 14, 1806), he utterly crushed the mihtary power 
with which, but half a century ago, the Great Frederick had 
wrought such marvels. Prussia lay writhing at his feet, 
and Bonaparte entered Berlin in triumph. 

380. What remained of the Prussian army now joined 
Eyiau and the Russians on the Prussian frontier. At 
Jena. Eylau \l' louP[ (February, 1807) a battle was 
fought of which nothing in particular came. But in June of 
the same year there was another batde, fought at Friedland, 
in regard to the results of which there could be no doubt, 
for the Russians were defeated with a loss of 60,000 men. 
The Czar now sued for peace, which was made by the Treaty 
of Tihit {]\x\y, 1807). 

381. The terms of peace were terribly severe to Prussia : 

she had to resign Saxony, Westphalia, and 
Prussian Poland ; and the conqueror, in his 
character of king-maker, elevated his third brother, Jerome, 
to the crown of the newly formed Kingdom of Westphalia, 

382. The reaction now began. Having driven the royal 
Beginning of Housc of Bragan'za from Portugal to Brazil, 
reaction. ^^^ having dcposcd the Bourbons from the 
throne of Spain, he set up his brother Joseph, in place of 
the latter, as King of Spain. Murat was promoted to fill 
Joseph's vacant throne at Naples. This appropriation of 
Spain was the commencement of a struggle in which the 
British, under Wellington, first assumed an important part 
In the military operations of Europe. Joseph was driven 
out of Madrid, and the French were compelled to evacuate 
Portugal. These reverses compelled Napoleon to take the 
field in person, and his genius soon restored the French 
prestige in the Peninsula (1808). But no sooner had he 
conquered in one direction than he was menaced in an- 
other. He had conquered all Europe, and all Europe was 
arrayed against him. It was Austria this time that men 
aced his power. 



THE CONSULATE AND THE EMPIRE. 453 

Z^Z- Austria had never looked on the result of the battle 
of Austerlitz as final, and was resolved to re- The Wagram 
cover her lost territory. So, while Napoleon campaign, 
was occupied in Spain, the Emperor, Francis II. of Austria, 
mustered half a million soldiers, and committed the com- 
mand to the Archduke Charles. On the receipt of this in- 
telligence, Napoleon quitted Spain and took the command 
on the Danube (May, 1809). Combats took place at As- 
pern and Essling, which on the whole were favorable to the 
Austrians; but in the decisive battle at Wagram (July 5, 
1809) Napoleon was completely successful, and Austria 
purchased peace by a large surrender of territory. 

384. The treaty of peace, called the Peace of Vienna (1809), 
was followed by negotiations for the hand of The Austrian 
Maria Louisa, Archduchess of Austria ; and "carriage. 

in the following year. Napoleon, having divorced the faith- 
ful Josephine, married that princess. His hope in this 
marriage was, that an heir might be born to him, and this 
hope was realized in the birth of a son, afterwards known 
as the Duke of Reichstadt.* 

385. In the year 18 ri Napoleon was at the height of 
his power, and his position at this time is well Napoleon 
worth marking. The French Empire over zenlSi^^ *^^ 
which he ruled extended from the borders of Denmark to 
those of Naples. Holland, Naples, and Westphalia were 
ruled by his kinsmen. His brother Joseph was on the 
throne of Spain, though not very secure there. Bernadotte, 
one of his generals, had been chosen Crown Prince of 
Sweden. As Protector of the Confederation of the Rhine 
he held the German states in subjection, as he did also the 
Helvetic Confederation, into which he, had formed the can- 
tons of Switzerland ; Austria and Prussia crouched at his 
feet, and Russia seemed his firm ally. Yet in a short time 



* See p 4<^X. 



454 MODERN HISTORY. 

all this was changed. " The magician's wand was broken, 
and his magnificent theater of action had sunk into a little 
house and garden far out in the tropic sea." 

386. The beginning of Napoleon's disasters was the wat 
Invasion of wliich he Commenced with Russia in 18 12. 
Russia. This arose out of Napoleon's dissatisfaction at 
the Czar's having opened his ports to British goods. As 
usual, Napoleon assumed the aggressive. Assembling a vast 
army, he crossed the Niemen (June, 1812) with 500,000 men, 
and headed his columns towards Moscow. The Russians 
gave battle at Borodino (September 7), and were defeated, 
but fell back in good order towards Moscow, — the Russian 
strategy being to lure Napoleon into the interior of the 
country. 

387. On the 14th of September the French entered the 

The French aucicnt Capital of RuSSia, and beheld the tow- 

in Moscow, gj-g Qf j-i^e Kremlin and the fantastic spires 
of Moscow. But when they entered the city, it was silent 
and empty, — an enchanted city, and all their own. Exult- 
ing in their plunder and security, they spread hither and 
thither, and proceeded to pass the night in revelry. But in 
the midst of their merriment the city was found to be in 
flames. The Russians, knowing no other means by which 
to deprive their foes of winter-quarters and provisions, had 
set fire to their ancient and beautiful capital, which after 
four days sank into a heap of ashes, leaving the conquering 
legions alone with famine and desolation. 

388. Retreat was all that now remained for the Emperor. 

It be^an on the loth of October. We shall 

The retreat. , ., , , ^ , . . 

not describe the horrors of this journey, m 
which the French were perpetually harassed by flying bodies 
of Cossacks, were starved, were frozen, and were left to die 
by the wayside. It is calculated that 125,000 perished in 
battle; that 130,000 died of fatigue, hunger, and cold; and 
that 190,000 were made prisoners. 



THE CONSULATE AND THE EMPIRE. 455 

389. At Smorgonoi (December 5) Napoleon abandoned 
the wretched phantom of the grand army and Events to bat- 
set out in a sledge for Paris, which he reached *^^ °f Leipsic. 
on the 1 8th. He knew that the struggle was to be one of 
life and death. All the powers of Europe now combined 
against him. In 4he Peninsula Wellington had in the 
mean time defeated Napoleon's marshals and had entered 
the South of France. Nevertheless, the Emperor was still 
far from despairing. With incredible energy he marshaled 
a fresh army, and marched to the banks of the Elbe. He 
defeated the Prussians and Russians at Liitzen, and again 
at Bautzen, in May, 18 13. But these victories were of 
little use to stem the great tide of enemies which had set in 
towards Paris, for the Austrians and the Bavarians had 
joined the coalition against him. Battle after battle was 
fought, until he made his final stand at Leipsic. The com- 
bat there was a crushing defeat to Napoleon, who lost up- 
wards of 70,000 men (October 16- 18, 1813). 

390. The great allied host was now advancing in all 
directions towards the frontiers of France. Events up to 
Napoleon summoned all his energies to meet ^'^^• 

the crisis, and amazed his enemies by the rapidity of his 
movements and the fertility of his resources. At last he 
made a false move : he dashed to the rear of the allies, in 
the hope that they would retreat in terror ; but instead of 
this they marched direct upon Paris, which was surrendered 
without a struggle (March 31, 18 14). Napoleon, who came 
up too late to save his capital, rode away to Fontainebleau 
[fon-fain-blo'\ Two days afterward he was deposed by a 
decree of the senate ; on the 4th of April he signed his 
abdication, and on the 20th he set out for the little island 
of Elba, which was now to be all the sovereignty of the 
once mighty potentate. 

391. The Bourbon Dynasty was now restored in the 
person of Louis XVHL, the brother of the guillotined king. 



.c6 MODERN HISTORY. 



But Louis XVIII. was indeed a Bourbon,-"one who forgot 
^ K nothing and who learned nothing." Indeed, so 
^^lto^r°aUo^n." unpopular did he make himself, that soon all 
hearts began to turn once more to the exile of Elba. And 
he was now to startle Europe with a new appearance on 

W After ten months in Elba, Napoleon escaped. 
' , Landing near Cannes \can\ he pushed on to 

reirpea-nce. paris, being joiucd by a small body of troops, 
and reached the capital without firing a shot. Louis XVIII 
fled to Ghent At this time a congress was sittmg at 
Vienna, and the task of reconstructing the map of Europe, 
so roughly disturbed by Napoleon, was going merrily on 
when the news came. The news is said to have been 
greeted by the assembled diplomatists first with a silent 
stare of incredulity and then with a roar of laughter. 
-20-^ But Napoleon was in Paris, levying troops ; action 
, must be prompt and decisive. The allies 
^v'e?tT'°' immediately declared Bonaparte an outlaw 
and poured their armies toward France. Resolving to deal 
first with the enemies nearest to him, Napoleon invaded 
Belgium, where lay the English and Prussians under Wel- 
lington and Bliicher. . 
7Q4 The result of this campaign is told m a single 
word, — Waterloo! This decisive combat 
Waterloo. ^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^ ^j^g jg^]^ of June, 1815. It 

was an overwhelming defeat to the French, and Napoleon 
hastened to Paris to announce that all was lost. 

395 On his arrival he found himself no longer treated 
d as a sovereign : his star had set, and as in his 
fixrre'nd'r" '" grandeur he had made the best interests and 
liberties of France subservient to his own glory, so now he 
was cast aside that the nation might be cared for. On the 
22d of June he signed his second abdication, and the allies, 
entering Paris on the 7th of July, reinstated Louis XVIII. 



1 



THE CONSULATE AND THE EMPIRE. 457 

as King of France. Napoleon now sought to escape to 
the United States ; but this he could not do, as the British 
cruisers watched all the coast. On the 15th of July he 
went on board a British ship, having previously written to 
the Prince Regent of England, to say that " he came like 
Themistocles to claim the hospitality of the British people, 
and the protection of their laws." 

396. But the British government regarded him as a tiger 
who was better chained than free, and orders st. Helena 
were sent to carry him to St. Helena. The ^"^ death, 
ship reached the lonely rock in October, 18 15, and there 
he lived for six years. His death took place May 5, 182 1 ; 
and his last words, as he lay dying amid the crash and 
glare of a tropical thunder-storm were, THe d^armee! 
(" Head of the army ! ") 

397. The character of Napoleon Bonaparte has been 
matter of great discussion and of most opposed 

, ^, . ., . . ,, His character. 

opmion ; and this necessarily so, since, in the 
judgment of lives, men differ so widely in their basis of 
judgment. Viewed purely from an intellectual standpoint, 
as a man accomplishing world- 
ly ends by worldly arts, — by 
generalship, by faculty of com- 
bination, by administrative gen- 
ius, — he was undoubtedly the 
greatest that ever lived. But 
as a character he was neither 
good nor in the highest sense 
great ; for he was not great 
enough to be above self. We 
can only say that the work he 

... , , , 1 1 , Napoleon. 

did needed to be done, and let 

the verdict go at that. For the rest, never has the world 

seen ambition so brilliant in its success, so tragic in its 

fall. 




458 MODERN HISTORY. 



2. MODERN ENGLISH POLITICS. 

398. At the time when peace came to Europe, after the 
George III. lo'Cig Napolconic wars, George III., whose reign 
and George IV, began far back in the previous century, was 
still aHve ; but he did not rule. Long prone to insanity, 
his mind had given way in 18 10, and the appointment of a 
Regent had become necessary. This office devolved upon 
his eldest son, who held it until the death of the poor old 
blind, crazy king, in 1820, when he ascended the throne as 
George IV. He is said to have been a man of consider- 
able ability ; and from his fine person and polished man- 
ners he was called by his flatterers the "first gentleman in 
Europe " ; but if to be a gentleman one must lead a decent 
life and have a feeling heart, then this king deserves not 
the name. 

399. After the battle of Waterloo the sovereigns of 
England and Austria, Russia, and Prussia entered into what 
iiance.° ^ ' is Called the Holy Alliance^ by which they 
bound themselves " to aid one another, in conformity with 
Holy Scripture, on every occasion." By this high-sounding 
profession they seem to have meant no more than that 
they would crush the desire for liberty and reform which 
began to show itself in the several countries. France also 
joined the alliance ; but England, suspecting that its object 
was the maintenance of despotic government, refused to 
assent to the principle of interference with the internal 
affairs of other states. 

400. The most important political event of George IV. 's 
A step in ^eign was the removal of certain grievous dis- 
progress. abilities under which all persons who did not 
belong to the Church of England labored. These affected 
both Catholics and Protestant dissenters. The restriction 
which required all persons taking office to commune 
according to the rites of the Established Church was 



MODERf^ ENGLISH POLITICS. 459 



removed in 1828 ; but many grievous laws yet remamed ui 
force against Catholics, who were shut out from Parliament 
and from many offices, franchises, and civil rights 

401 In Ireland there arose a great agitation for the re- 
peal of these laws, and early in the reign j^stice^to 
Daniel O'Connell, an Irish barrister of great 
eloquence, organized the Catholic Association, for the pur- 
pose of pushing the question of emancipation. The sub- 
ject was frequently debated in the House of Commons and 
motions in its favor were carried ; but the House of Lords 
would not sanction the repeal of the penal laws. Ihe ex- 
citement became intense, and the Catholic Association 
elected O'Connell to a seat in Parliament. So well did he 
ficht the battle of his Church, that a bill was passed remov- 
ing all penal laws against Catholics, and placing them 
on the same political footing as Protestant subjects The 
Duke of Wellington, who was at that time Prime Minister 
avowed in the House of Lords that he had brought forward 
the measure in order to avert civil war. The bill received 
the royal assent in April, 1829. Next year the kmg died. 

402. George IV. was succeeded by his brother, William 
Henry, Duke of Clarence, who ascended the Accession of 
throne as William IV. He reigned seven w.uan. iv. 
years, that is, till 1837. 

403 At the time of William's accession, the great ques- 
tion of Parliamentary Reform agitated the peo- a^^-- °//- 
ple For many years there had been a grow- representation. 
ing demand for a change in Parliamentary representation, 
and certainly such a change was greatly needed. Many 
towns, such as Liverpool and Manchester, which contained 
a teeming population, were without representation at all, 
while many small and insignificant places returned to Par- 
liament one or more members. In such boroughs, known 
as "pocket" or "rotten" boroughs, the property was in 
most instances in the hands of some one large owner, by 



460 MODERN HJSTOkY. 

whom the elections were controlled. The large centers of 
population, unrepresented in the national legislature, could 
no longer suffer this state of things to continue, and loudly- 
demanded Parliamentary reform. 

404. The celebrated Reform Bill was brought into Par- 
Passage of the liamcut in March, 183 1, by Lord John Russell. 
Reform Bill. -pj^g ^-^y^ parties in the House of Commons 
were so evenly balanced, that another appeal was made to 
the country, and a new House of Commons was returned, 
pledged to carry " the Bill." After a desperate struggle 
the measure was passed in the House of Commons by a 
large majority, but it was thrown out in the Lords. This 
caused great excitement throughout the country, and riots 
broke out in many places. On the assembling of Parlia- 
ment the following year, 1832, the Reform Bill was again 
introduced, and passed the Lower House ; and on finding 
both the Crown and the people against them, the Lords 
were induced to give up their opposition to the measure. 

405. By this Act three great changes were made : i. Fifty- 
Changes it six of the pocket boroughs were disfranchised ; 
effected. 2. Several towns which had sprung, during the 
last century, into first-class cities, now for the first time re- 
ceived the right of sending members to Parliament ; 3. The 
franchise, or right of voting, was extended more widely 
among the middle classes. The right of voting for towns 
was given to the tenants of houses worth ;^ 10 a year or 
upwards ; for county members all were entitled to vote who 
owned land worth ;^ 10 a year, or who paid an annua] 
rental of ^50. 

406. When the Reform Parliament met in the following 
Abolition year, 18-^-^, it justified the best hopes of its 

of colonial c • \ XT J ■ c ' A 

slavery. fncnds by entering upon a course of wise and 

liberal legislation. One of the most important of its acts 
was the abolition of slavery in the British colonies. The 
merit of this work is mainly due to William Wilberforce, 



MODERN ENGLISH POLITICS. 46 1 

who for many years had devoted himself to the question of 
Emancipation. For the 800,000 slaves who thus received 
their freedom, a compensation of ;!{^ 20,000,000 was paid to 
their masters. 

407. William IV. died in 1837, and was succeeded by 
Alexandrina Victoria, daughter of his brother. Accession of 
Edward Duke of Kent. She was then eighteen Victona. 
years of age, and three years afterward was married to her 
cousin, Prince Albert, of Saxe-Coburg and Gothi. 

408. The most important political event during the early 
part of this reign was the Repeal of ihe Corn Repeal of the 
Laius. These were laws imposing heavy duties ^°^" Laws, 
upon the importation of foreign grain. All who lived by 
agriculture — the land-owners, the farmers, and the laboring 
classes — wished to keep foreign grain out of the market, in 
the belief that it was their interest, by high duties, to protect 
home agriculture. On the other hand, those who held free- 
trade doctrines argued that every man and nation should 
be free to buy in the cheapest and sell in the dearest mar- 
ket, and that all protective restrictions were futile. In 
1839 a number of these men, of whom Richard Cobden 
was the most prominent, formed what was called the Afiti- 
Corn-Law League. By vigorous agitation the cause tri- 
umphed in 1846, when bills were carried through Parlia- 
ment for abolishing or reducing to a merely nominal 
amount the duties on grain, cattle, and other productions. 

409. About the same time the English people were 
greatly stirred up by what was called the ^j^^ Chartists. 
Chartist agitation. The Chartists were for the 

most part workingmen, and took their name from their 
People's Charter^ — a document in which they demanded 
six changes in the Constitution: i. Universal suffrage; 
2. Vote by ballot ; 3. Annual Parliaments ; 4. Electoral dis- 
tricts ; 5. The abolition of property qualification for mem- 
bers ; 6. The payment of Parliamentary representatives. 



462 MODERN HISTORY. 

After some rioting in 1839 the Chartists remained tolerably- 
quiet until 1848, when, excited by the revolutions that took 
place during that year in France and other parts of the 
Continent, they determined to show their strength. 

410. On Kensington Common, 20,000 of them assem- 
How they bled, for the purpose of walking in procession 
down!'" through London to the House of Commons, 
there to present a monster petition in favor of their claims. 
Why they should have been prevented from doing so, if 
they broke no law, it is not easy for us in this country to 
see ; for with us every one of the six points in their Peoples 
Charter is a part of the organic law of the land. However, 
the government took alarm, and appealed to the people. 
The result was that a quarter of a million of Londoners 
enrolled themselves as special constables to prevent the 
dreadful " red republican " demonstration. The affair, 
however, passed off without any trouble : the Chartists 
were not allowed to recross the bridges in procession, and 
there the matter came to an end. From this time the 
Chartists ceased to be of any importance as an organized 
body, but their work was of value in educating the public 
mind, and what they did bore fruit ; for, as we shall see, 
most of the reforms for which they contended have since 
become law. 

411. Since Waterloo there had been no great European 

war, but the year 1854 was signalized by the 

Crimean War. , , r , 

outbreak of the Crimean War. This arose 
from the fact that the Czar of Russia, Nicholas, disturbed 
the balance of power by seizing the Turkish Principalities 
of Moldavia and Wallachia. Great Britain and France, 
afterwards joined by the King of Sardinia, formed an alli- 
ance in aid of the Sultan, and engaged in a war with Rus- 
sia, which was carried on mainly in the Crimea. The chief 
actions were the victories of the Alma, September, 1854, 
and of Inkerman', November, 1854. The allied armies then 



REVOLUTIONS IN FRENCH POLITICS. 463 

invested Sebastopol. The siege lasted 349 days, at the 
end of which time the place was evacuated by the Russians, 
in September, 1855 ; and in the course of the following yeai 
peace was made. 

412. Since this time England has been engaged in no 
considerable war, and the history of the coun- Later English 
try has been one of steady internal develop- po^^t^"- 
ment. That slow but sure progress in political reform 
which characterizes the English has been going on all the 
time. In accordance with a prevalent desire for further 
Parliamentary improvements, a new Reform Bill was in 
1867 brought in and carried by the Tory, or Conservative, 
Ministry then in power, the chiefs of which were the Earl 
of Derby and Mr. Disraeli. By this the right of franchise 
was greatly extended. In 1869 ^.nd 1870 important changes 
were made in Ireland, by measures carried by the liberal 
ministry under the leadership of Mr. Gladstone. By one 
act the Irish Church was disestablished on the ground that 
it was the church of the minority of the Irish people, — a 
measure of justice to the Catholics. By an act passed in 
1872 votes in Parliamentary elections are now given by bal- 
lot, instead of open voting as heretofore. This was one of 
the fundamental desires of the Chartists, and brings the 
English political system still nearer to our own. 

3. REVOLUTIONS IN FRENCH POLITICS. 

413. The modern history of France presents a striking 
contrast to that of England. Reform — the character of 

. r 1 • • ^ c modern French 

gradual improvement of the existing order of pontics. 
things — has been the watchword in England ; but in 
France, since Napoleon I., the people have been able to 
effect changes only by Revolution. 

414. Louis XVIIL* was fifty-nine years of age when he 

* Louis XVIII. was brother of Louis XVI., and uncle of the Dauphin 
(son of Louis XVL), who would have been Louis XVII.; but he died 
when a lad, owing to his cruel treatment during the Revolution. 



464 MODERN HISTORY. 

was restored to the throne of his fathers. Weary of strife, 
Reign of exhausted aUke in her finances and in her pop- 

Louis XVIII. uiation, France now enjoyed tranquilHty, and 
slumbered contentedly beneath the inoffensive government 
of her new sovereign. He was a man of easy temper, un- 
wieldy person, and mediocre capacity. He desired sincerely 
enough the good of his people, and wished to rule as a 
constitutional king. But there were those around him who 
desired nothing so much as the restoration of the old despotic 
regime of Louis XIV. ; and among these the greatest reac- 
tionist was the king's brother, the Count d'Artois \ar-twa'\ 
who became king with the title of Charles X., on the death 
of Louis XVIII. , in 1824. 

415. With Charles X. absolutism set in. He had as 
Despotic acts strong a mania for despotic rule as ever pos- 
of Charles X. scsscd the English Stuarts, and was unable, 
poor blind man, to read the terrible lesson which he should 
have learned when his brother's head rolled from the guil- 
lotine block. In 1827 he disbanded the Civic Guard. In 
1830, aided by a minister as blind and foolish as himself, he 
issued three ordinances which kindled the Second French 
Revolution. These were: i. That the liberty of the press 
was suspended ; 2. That the Chamber of Deputies was dis- 
solved before it had met ; 3. That the elections were to be 
made by the Prefects, who were mere creatures of the gov- 
ernment. 

416. The Parisians met these enactments in a spirited 

manner ; there was a blossoming out of tricol- 
Revoiution. ^^^^ cockades, a sudden irruption of barricades 
in the streets, some brisk fights with the troops, and in three 
days (July 27, 28, and 29, 1830) the people were masters of 
the city. A provisional government was appointed ; and in a 
few days Louis Philippe, of the House of Orleans, and cousin 
to Charles X., was elected King of the French. Charles 
sought refuge abroad, and died in Austria six years later. 



REVOLUTIONS IN FRENCH POLITICS. 465 



417. The new sovereign was now fifty-seven years of age •. 
he had known adversity and privation, had Account of 
been a refugee in Switzerland, where he taught L°-is PhUippe. 
school for a while, had traveled extensively in the United 
States, and finally settled down in England, where he re- 
mained till the downfall of Napoleon. 

418. Counting on the salutary effect of these his varied 
experiences, the French people now looked ^.^ ,,„^bies. 
forward to the reign of Louis Philippe as to a 

period of genuine freedom. Yet the position of the Citizen- 
King, as he was called, was a difficult and delicate one, 
for he was between two extreme parties, — on the one 
hand the republicans, on the other the partisans of the old 
Bourbon regime. It was not long before the troubles of the 
new reign began, — troubles at Lyons and in Paris itself. 
Then came repeated elforts made against the king's life. 
These things impelled him to take several very foolish steps, 
such as abridging the liberty of the press and making fre- 
quent prosecutions, while his want of good faith, his insa- 
tiable avarice, and his lavish expenditures alienated the 
moderate men on whom he might have relied for support. 

419. During this period there was a young m.an who 
made two separate attempts at revolution ; but ^ariy jxpimts 
these sallies were of rather a burlesque charac- poieon. 
ter, and had little other effect than that of exciting laughter. 
The man was Louis Napoleon, a nephew of the Great Na- 
poleon, and son of that Louis Bonaparte who was once 
king of Holland. He was born at Paris in 1808, educatecJ 
under the care of his mother, Hortense, and had spent 
most of his time in Switzerland, where he led a quiet, studious 
life. His one infatuation was to imitate his great uncle, and 
it is astonishing how far he was ultimately able to carry the 
delusion of his name. In 1836 he made an attempt ^o 
excite insurrection at Strasburg ; but it failed, and he was 
permitted to go to America. Returning to Europe, he 



DD 



466 MODERN HISTORY. 

made a fresh effort in 1840, — this time at Boulogne, 
whither he went from England with fifty friends and a tame 
eagle. The troops at the Boulogne barracks, however, 
would not surrender as he expected, so his crestfallen 
party made a retreat to their vessel ; but Louis Napoleon 
was arrested, tried, and condemned to imprisonment in the 
fortress of Ham. After six years he managed to escape 
in the dress of a workman, and took up his home in Eng- 
land. By this time events were to open for him a new 
theater of action. 

420. The murmurs of the people at the corruptions of 
Revolution of the government weie growing loud and deep. 
^^48. The king had become exceedingly unpojDular. 
Meetings of disaffected persons in what were called Re- 
form Banquets were now frequent in Paris and the provin- 
cial towns. The working-classes adopted as their motto 
those three words, fatal to sovereigns, — Liberty, Equal- 
ity, and Fraternity. The crisis came in 1848, when a 
Reform Banquet, appointed to take place on Washington's 
birthday (February 22), was forbidden by the government. 
There was a new appearance of barricades in Paris streets, 
and the citizen-king, under the very bourgeois name of Mr. 
Smith, took his flight to England, where he lived till his 
death, two years afterwards. 

421. France was now a Republic once more, and a 
The Republic National Assembly was elected by universal 
and anarchy, suffrage, Opening its session. May 5, 1848. 
Still, for several months Paris was a scene of anarchy. In 
June especially the tumult rose to a great height, and a 
frightful contest began between the populace, the troops, 
and the national guard. Paris was declared in a state of 
siege, and General Cavaignac was made Dictator. The 
city was not quieted during a whole month, and it is cal- 
culated that in this time 16,000 persons were killed or 
wounded 



REVOLUTIONS IN FRENCH POLITICS. 467 

422. A new constitution, vesting the executive power in 
a President of the RepubHc, who should be The new con- 
chosen by all the people and should hold of- s^it^tion. 
fice for four years, was adopted by the National Assembly in 
November, 1848. Louis Napoleon had returned to France, 
having been elected a deputy for the department of the 
Seine. He stood as candidate for the Presidency, and in 
the following month was elected to the office by the votes 
of five millions and a half of the French people. 

423. He never agreed well with the Assembly, and it 
was soon manifest that one or the other must The Coup 

be crushed. Indeed, it is quite certain that ^^'^'^t- 
from the beginning of his Presidency he was busily engaged 
in weaving plots to make himself master of France. The 
plan he formed was what the French call a coup d^etat 
(stroke of state), which in this case meant a massacre by 
military force, and the midnight arrest of his opponents. 
The work was done quietly on the night of December 2, 
185 1, — so quietly that next morning Paris was in Louis 
Napoleon's hands, and on the placarded walls men read a 
decree proclaiming that the Assembly was dissolved, that 
universal suffrage was restored, and that Paris was under 
martial law. On the 4th, there was the usual Parisian up- 
rising; but it was put down by the strong hand, after some 
800 of those who resisted the usurpation had fallen by the 
bullets of the soldiery. On the 14th of the following Jan- 
uary (1852) a new constitution placed in the hands of Louis 
Napoleon the government of France for ten years. 

424. The strange success attending this extraordinary 
seizure of power can only be accounted for by Cause of Louis 

^ 1111 Napoleon s 

the fact that France was completely demoral- success, 
ized by the long period of change and anarchy through 
which she had passed. How thoroughly, by this time, the 
French had lost all sense of real political liberty is evi- 
denced by the next step in the marvelous career of Louis 



468 MODERN HISTORY. 

Napoleon. This was his elevation to be Emperor by over 
seven millions of votes, being nearly the entire vote of 
France. 

425. On the 2d of December, 1852, he was proclaimed 
Becomes Em- Emperor with the title of Napoleon III.* On 
peror. ^^ ^o|-j^ of January, 1853, he was married to 
Eugdnie de Montijo, a Spanish lady of Scottish extraction 
and ancient birth. The ceremony was performed with great 
splendor by the Archbishop of Paris in the Cathedral of 
Notre Dame. 

426. When Napoleon III. assumed the Imperial Crown, 
His profession he made an utterance which, it was supposed, 
of peace. would be the key to his policy : " The Empire," 
said he, " is peace " (^L Empire dest la paix). But indeed 
there have been wars in Europe ever since, in which France 
has taken the chief part. 

427. The year after his accession, when there arose the 

quarrel between Russia and Turkey that re- 

His first war. '■ . , , , , 

suited ni the Crnnean War, he led the way m 
forming the coalition against Russia. The nation entered 
with eagerness enough into the contest, and it is gen- 
erally believed, that, as between France and England, the 
French had the greater share of glory in the operations be- 
fore Sebastopol. 

428. In 1859 hostilities broke out between Austria 
His second ^.nd Sardinia. The French Emperor in per- 
^^^- son took the field in Northern Italy as an ally 
of Sardinia. It was given out that he intended to free 
all Italy, from the Alps to the Adriatic ; but though the 
French were victorious over the Austrians at Magenta and 
Solferino, Napoleon III. stopped short and concluded the 
mysterious Peace of Villafranca. It did not then appear 

* The putative Napoleon II. was the son born to Napoleon I. and 
Maria Louisa in 181 1. He never reigned, and on the abdicatiou of his 
father was created Duke of Reichstadt in Austria. He died in 1832. 



REVOLUTIONS IN FRENCH POLITICS. 469 



that his conduct was wholly disinterested, for though by his 
action Lombardy (given up by the Austrians) was joined 
to Sardinia, yet Victor Emanuel, the king of that state, had 
to cede to France the two provinces of Nice and Savoy. 

429. The last and greatest of Napoleon III.'s wars was 
diat which he declared against Prussia, in The German 
1870. The reason which he assigned for ^^^• 

this act of aggression was, that there had been talk of 
giving the crown of Spain to Leopold, a distant kinsman 
of the King of Prussia; but the real reason was that he 
was very jealous of the greatness of Prussia, which was 
rapidly accomplishing the reconstitution of Germany ; and, 
besides, he was desirous of establishing his waning pop- 
ularity in France by means of a successful war. To take 
away all cause of dispute, Leopold, in July, 1870, withdrew 
from being a candidate for the crown of Spain. But this 
did not satisfy Napoleon, who asked the king of Prussia to 
give formal assurances that Leopold would never in the 
future accept of the crown of Spain. This demand was 
refused, and France declared war. 

430. In the sketch of Germany a brief account will be 
given of the stupendous struggle which now summary of 
ensued. It is sufficient for the present to say, events. 

that the French crossed the German frontier, but were 
driven out in a few days, and then the German armies en- 
tered France and won a series of great victories. Napoleon 
III. himself became a prisoner. Paris was besieged, and 
surrendered to the Germans. Meanwhile Napoleon IIL 
was declared deposed, and a republic was again set up 
in France. The late Emperor retired to England, where 
two years afterwards he died. 

431. In thus following down through the wars waged 
during the reign of Napoleon III., we have, for Material pros- 
the time being, neglected the internal state of France. 
France. The eighteen years of imperial rule formed a 



470 MODERN HISTORY. 

period of quite marked material prosperity. Louis Napa 
leon had something of his uncle's genius for administrative 
details. He did much to build up the commerce of the 
country, to develop its railroad system and its mining 
and manufacturing interests, and to extend and beautify its 
cities. The French people, freed for twenty years from 
anarchy, and directed into industrial channels, became as a 
nation more practical than they ever were before, and the 
material prosperity of France was never greater than under 
the Second Empire. 

432. But a nation pays too dearly for peace and material 
The price it well-being when it purchases them at the price 
*^°^*- of liberty. The French are a mighty, a noble 

people, and for centuries upheld the civilization of Europe ; 
yet it is to be said of them, that for twenty years in the 
midst of the 19th century they permitted themselves to live 
under a rule which, in principle, if not in practice, was no 
better than an Asiatic despotism. The real rottenness of 
the system was clearly disclosed by the German conflict. 
The issue on trial was this : a people, the bravest, the 
proudest in Europe, but the great mass of whom were 
morally enfeebled both by want of education and of in- 
telligent participation in public affairs, opposed to a na- 
tion brought up in the public school. The result was a 
most significant verdict as to the merit of the two systems. 



4. THE UNIFICATION OF ITALY. 

433. After the Congress of Vienna (18 15), Austria hung 
Italy, 1815- li^^ 3. millstone round the neck of Italy; so 
^^48- that this beautiful land can hardly be said to 
have had any history from 1815 to 1848. Austrians swarmed 
in the basin of the Po, and creatures of Austria wore the 
coronets of Tuscany, Modena, and Parma. 

434. When Pius IX. became Pope, in 1846, he began to 



UNIFICATION OF ITALY. 47 1 

make some useful changes among the people of the Papal 
States. The Austrians, alarmed at any signs Revolution of 
of growing freedom, entered Ferrara in 1847, ^^^^' 
and all Central Italy rose in arms against the tyrants. The 
following year saw the flame of revolution kindled in Lom- 
bardy. The Austrian troops were driven from Milan, and 
Charles Albert, King of Sardinia, took the field against 
them. But the hour of triumph was short : the Austrians 
soon reconquered Lombardy and invaded Sardinia, and 
Charles Albert, defeated at Novara in 1849, abdicated, and 
was succeeded by his son Victor Emanuel II. Meanwhile 
Venice, which had again become a republic, was recovered 
by Austria. Rome, where a republic had been set up, was 
overcome by troops sent by the new republic of France. In 
the other Italian States the princes who had been frightened 
by the revolutionary movements into granting constitutions, 
withdrew these. Thus, after 1849, Italy was left in much the 
same case as she had been in before the uprising. 

435. In this depressed state of affairs the one outlook 
for Italian patriots, who yearned intensely for victor Eman- 
the freedom and unity of their country, was "^'• 

in Sardinia, whose new king, Victor Emanuel II., was 
known to be liberally inclined. His subjects, the Piedmon- 
tese, enjoyed a constitutional government, a free press, and 
a large share of religious liberty. Victor Emanuel did not 
disappoint the good hopes of the patriots, for he introduced 
many reforms, and kept his word so faithfully that he won 
for himself the honorable nickname of // Re Galantuoiiio 
(The Honest King). 

436. In 1853 Count Cavour became prime mmister to 
Victor Emanuel. He was one of the ablest cavour's 
statesmen of the 19th century, and passionately p'^^^- 
desired to see all Italy free and united. As an important 
step towards this end, he induced the king in 1855 to enter, 
into the war which England and France were carrying on 



472 MODERN HISTORY. 

against Russia in the Crimea ; for he reasoned that if Italy 
should come to be regarded as a useful ally by the great 
powers, her deliverance might be hastened by foreign inter- 
ference. Accordingly, at the Congress of Paris, held the 
following year to arrange terms of peace between the allies 
and Russia, Cavour took the opportunity of laying before 
the representatives of the European powers the unhappy 
condition of his countrymen in the other Italian States. 
This led France and England to remonstrate with the King 
of Naples, who was one of the worst of the Italian tyrants, 
and at length the dispute became so serious that their am- 
bassadors were withdrawn from Naples. And now we come 
to the eventful days that changed the little kingdom of Sar- 
dinia into the kingdom of Italy. 

437. In 1859 Prance and Sardinia declared war against 
War with Austria, and the Emperor Napoleon III. said 
Austria. j^g would free Italy from the Alps to the Adri- 
atic. The Austrians were beaten in the two great actions 
of Magenta (June 4, 1859) and Solferino (June 24), and it 
seemed as though the French Emperor would keep his 
word. But he found that if he went further Prussia would 
take up the cause of Austria, and so he concluded the 
Peace of Villafranca. Austria gave up to the King of Sar- 
dinia Lombardy to the west of the Mincio. In March, 
i860, Tuscany, Modena, Parma, and Romagna, by a gen- 
eral vote of the people, became subject to the King of Sar- 
dinia. 

438. In the mean time the doings of one man gave free- 
dom to Naples and Sicily. Joseph Garibaldi,"* "the hero 
of the red shirt," issuing from the rocky islet of Caprera, 

* Joseph Garibaldi, born at Nice in 1807, has had a most eventful and 
wandering life. After making some voyages as a sailor, he engaged in 
plots with Mazzini against Charles Albert of Sardinia. Escaping from 
the perilous consequences of these, he carried his sword to South Amer- 
ica, where he fought against Brazil on behalf of Rio Grande. On his 
return to Europe he aided in defending Rome against the French (1848). 



THE GERMAN EMPIRE RESTORED. 473 



landed in May, i860, at Marsala in Sicily, proclaiming him- 
self Dictator for Victor Emanuel. Storming Garibaldi's 
Palermo, the capital of Sicily, and defeating operations, 
the troops of the King of Naples at Melazzo, he then in- 
vaded the mainland, forcing Reggio to capitulate. The 
King of Naples took refuge in the maritime fortress of 
Gaeta, while Garibaldi entered the capital and nominated 
a provincial government. 

439. The troops of Sardinia soon invaded the Papal 
States, whose armies they defeated, and whose itaiy a king- 
seaport of Ancona they forced to capitulate. '^°'"- 
Other victories followed, and the kingdom of the Two 
Sicilies became a dependency of Sardinia. By vote or revo- 
lution all the other States, except the Papal territories and 
the Austrian province of Venetia, were in 186 1 amalgamated 
into the Kingdom of Italy, and the Italian Parliament made 
Victor Emanuel king of Italy. 

440. The rest of the story of Italian liberation is soon 
told. When the war between Austria and ^^^^.^^ ^^^^^^^ 
Prussia broke out in 1866, Italy joined Prussia, 

and Austria had to give up Venice and Verona. Lastly, 
when the war between France and Germany (1870) caused 
the French troops to be withdrawn from Rome, the eter- 
nal city was at last joined to the Italian kingdom. The 
entrance of Victor Emanuel into Rome was the end of 
the work of deliverance and union. Italy is now free and 
united, and has Rome for her capital. 

5. THE GERMAN EMPIRE RESTORED. 

441. Until the Napoleonic wars, the German Empire, 
or "Holv Roman Empire," the true represent- Review of Ger- 

Ui xi.\Jl.^j ivv^ , ^ 1 J ^^„ man politics. 

ative of the Empire of the Caesars, had con- 

Another turn of Fortune's wheel, -and he appears as a soap-boiler and 
candle-maker in America; then is transformed to a farmer on the rocky 
islet of Caprera. 



474 MODERN HISTORY. 



tinued to exist in name, though, since the Peace of West- 
phalia, the union of the German States had been very lax 
indeed. But under Napoleon even the name of union 
under an imperial head passed away. First he suc- 
ceeded in detaching the two duchies of Bavaria and Wiir- 
temberg and several smaller states, and these he formed into 
the Confederation of the Rhine.* And at last the Emperor, 
Francis II., in 1806, formally resigned the imperial crown, 
and was called simply Emperor of Austria ; — so that, after 
this, Germany was no longer, even nominally, a united state, 
acknowledging a common head. 

442. When, after the downfall of Napoleon in 1815, the 
The German status of the various European nations was 
Confederation, settled at the Congrcss of Vienna, the jeal- 
ousies of the greater German states, especially Austria and 
Prussia, did not permit that the Empire should be restored. 
Instead of this the German princes united by a lax federal 
tie in what was called the German Corifedcration (June 8, 
18 1 5), which union lasted until quite recent times. It was 
made up of thirty-nine states. t Each state was to remain 
independent in matters that affected // alone, — the object 
of the confederation being merely the regulation of those 
affairs common to all German states equally. A permanent 
Diet, or Parliament, consisting of the plenipotentiaries of 
the states, was to hold its sittings in Frankfort-on-the-Main, 
the representatives of Austria presiding. The members of 
the Confederation agreed never to declare war against one 
another ; there was to be a confederate army, to which each 



* See page 451. 

t The principal of these were: (i) Austria, (2) Prussia, (3) Bavaria, 
(4) Saxony, (5) Hanover, (6) Wlirtemberg, (7) Baden, (8) Hesse, 
(9) Darmstadt, (10) Brunswick, (11) Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Nassau. 
The votes in the Diet were so regulated that the eleven states of first 
rank alone held a full vote, the secondary states holding merely a half 
or the fourth of a vote. 



THE GERMAN EMPIRE RESTORED. 475 

State was to contribute according to its population, and all 
subjects of dispute between the various states were to be 
referred for settlement to the Diet. 

443. By the Act of Confederation all the princes prom- 
ised free constitutions to their people. This was a conces- 
sion to the spirit of the age ; but, in fact, most Broken prom- 
of them forgot to make good their promise. ^^^^• 

This was a great disappointment to the hopes of the liberal 
and patriotic party throughout Germany. 

444. Moreovej:, for some time a strong feeling for the 
real unity of Fatherland had been growing up, unity,— a step 
especially since the war of freedom. There towards it. 
was a very general desire that Germany should cease to be 
a mere bundle of states only nominally united, and become 
a stj-ofig power by becoming a united power. One not unim- 
portant step towards realizing this wish was taken as Prus- 
sia gradually, from 1828 onwards, became the center of a 
commercial union among the German states, the members 
of which agreed to levy no duties on merchandise passing 
from one state to another, but to levy them only at the com- 
mon frontier. This union, called the Zollverein^ or Customs' 
Union, was gradually joined by most of the German States. 

445. But, aside from this, most of the German sovereigns 
and princes showed themselves to be thorous^h The govern- 

, , . . ... , . ^ ment and the 

absolutists in principle and practice. Repres- people, 
sive measures were used to crush every little manifestation 
of independence, and the press was completely shackled. 
But, indeed, these acts had only the effect of making the 
desire for freedom and unity stronger. When the French 
Revolution of 1830 took place, there were slight sympa- 
thetic uprisings in Prussia and Austria, and especially in 
Brunswick ; but very little came of these. 

446. However, the French Revolution of 1848 (when 
King Louis Philippe was driven out, and a ^^^ earth- 
republic was set up) had more serious conse- q^ake year. 



4/6 MODERN in STORY. 

quences in Germany. The people this time were in earnest, 
and resolved to obtain, at whatever cost, their chief de- 
mands. The princes of the smaller states were alarmed, 
and most of them at once adopted a more liberal policy. 
In Austria the reforming or revolutionary party everywhere 
gained the upper hand ; and the Emperor was obliged to 
summon a Diet, to be elected by universal suffrage in all 
his hereditary lands. In Berlin the uprising was even 
more determined ; there were sharp contests between the 
people and the soldiers ; and the king, Frederick William 
IV., was obliged to grant a new constitution. It was gen- 
erally hoped that union as well as freedom was now to be 
achieved in Germany, for the movement gained such height 
that members from the various states were elected to a 
National Assembly, which was opened at Frankfort in May, 
1848, and which had the right of acting for all Germany, 
since the Diet had meanwhile voluntarily ceased to exist. 

447. But, once again, the movement for union and in- 
Cause of the dependence proved abortive, and this time 
peop e s ai - ^j^^^^ ^^ peoplc sccmcd to havc everything 
their own way. This failure was due to several causes. 
To begin with, the National Assembly was largely under 
the influence of well-meaning, but visionary men, and showed 
itself unequal to the task of reconstituting Germany. Then 
the movement for independence was seriously checked by 
the great excesses to which the revolutionary party in Austria 
and Hungary went. 

448. The Hungarians, it must be remembered, were under 
uprising and the Austrian dominion, and formed one of the 
of Hu'ngary"^ statcs of Francis II. 's " Empire." But they had 
once been a great and an independent nation, and they 
sighed to be freed from the yoke of the House of Haps- 
burg. Headed by the famous orator Kossuth, they de- 
manded complete independence, and set up a republic. 
But unluckily feuds arose between the Magyars and the 



THE GERMAN EMPIRE RESTORED. 477 

Other races in Hungary, and this greatly helped the recon- 
quest of the country by Austria, which, however, was not 
done without the help of Russia. 

449. While these events were taking place in Hungary, 
there was a gradual subsidence of the republi- The tide re- 
can movement in Germany proper, so that in cedes. 
Austria and Prussia and the other states the government 
got the upper hand. And now that the governments were 
freed from the fear with which the revolutionary outburst 
had at first inspired them, they became less and less in- 
clined to adopt any very thorough changes. Moreover, the 
National Assembly, still sitting at Frankfort, was violently 
divided. True, it got so far in April, 1849, as to form a 
kind of constitution, and it offered the Imperial power to 
the King of Prussia, in whose family it was to be heredi- 
tary. Frederick William, however, refused to accept the 
title under a constitution which, he said, would not give 
him power sufficient to fulfil the duties of an emperor. 

450. All this time, and long afterwards, the greatest diffi- 
culty4n the unification of Germany arose from Jealousies of 

,.,., T-, •!» . Prussia and 

the jealousies between Prussri and Austria, Austria, 
each believing that // should form the nucleus in the recon- 
stitution of the Empire. Prussia, when Austria was en- 
gaged in quelling the Hungarian revolt (1849), made an ef- 
fort to unite Germany, leaving out Austria. Several states 
joined Prussia in an alliance. Then Austria, alarmed by 
the attempt of Prussia to seize the place in Germany which 
she looked on as la\\^ully hers, made a counter-effort, and 
succeeded in joining with her various states in another alli- 
ance, leaving out Prussia. Feeling ran very high, and the 
two sections were nearly plunged into civil war on a dispute 
that arose in regard to Hesse-Cassel. The difficulty was 
settled by the temporary re-establishment of the Confeder- 
ation much as it had been before 1848. But it remained 
clear that the great question in German politics was whether 



4/8 MODERN HISTORY. 

Austria or Prussia should occupy the first place in Ger- 
many. 

451. The years that followed the revolutionary period 

be^un in 1848 were on the whole prosperous. 

Events to 1859. ^ 1 • u A A U A 

Commerce nourished, and much was done 
to promote popular education. In the year 1859 Austria 
plunged into the war with Sardinia, — the war in which 
Napoleon III. took sides with Sardinia and compelled Aus- 
tria to give up Lgtmbardy.* Austria tried to drag the Con- 
federation into the struggle on her side ; but Prussia firmly 
adhered to the principle that the Confederation could take 
no part in any contest that did not directly affect German 
interests. As bearing on Germany, this war is only impor- 
tant in that the partial unification of Italy, which was the 
result of it, gave a fresh impulse in many German minds to 
the desire for national unity. 

452. King Frederick William IV. of Prussia died in 
Prussia under 1861, and was succccded by his brother, who 
William I. ^qq], ^j^g ^,^Y^ Qf William I. He appointed 
Otto von Bismarck, one of the ablest of modern states- 
men, his prime minister and minister of foreign affairs. 
The king was an enthusiastic soldier, and wished to see the 
Prussian army reorganized. His efforts to achieve this end 
led to disputes with the Parliament, which did not wish to 
sanction the heavy expenditures required. But the king and 
Bismarck, in direct violation of the constitution, carried out 
the scheme. 

453. All this time the relations of Prussia and Austria, 
Progress of ^^^ ^^ ^oth to the Confederation, were very 
the quarrel. uusatisfactory. Bisiiiarck declared in Parlia- 
ment that the German problem could be solved only by 
"blood and iron." For a time the jealousies of the two 
rival states were kept in abeyance by the absorbing inter- 
est of what is called the " Schleswig-Holstein question." 

* See page 469. 



THE GERMAN EMPIRE RESTORED. 479 

This joined Prussia and Austria against Denmark: In Feb- 
ruary, 1864, the united armies crossed the Eider, and drove 
the Danes from a rampart called the Daiiewirk. The for- 
tress of Diippel also was taken, and such loss was in- 
flicted on Denmark that she consented to part with the 
three duchies of Schleswig, Holstein, and Lau'enbiirg, in 
favor of the Emperor of Austria and the King of Prussia. 

454. And now Or fresh difficulty arose in regard to the 
disposition that should be made of the duch- Relations of 
ies. Prussia desired to annex them to her *^^ powers, 
own territory ; Austria, though not anxious for them, was 
still resolved that Prussia should not obtain them. The 
dispute was finally settled amicably. However, the real 
difficulties between the two rival powers were not lessened, 
— and Bismarck did not desire that they should be les- 
sened, for he saw in these complications the opportunity for 
increasing the greatness of Prussia. 

455. When a nation wishes to make war, the opportunity 
is usually found. Prussia discovered one in The fresh out- 
the still open dispute with Austria in regard to ^'^e^k- 

the Schleswig-Holstein question. But the struggle that now 
began, and which proved to be one of the most rapid and 
decisive in history, had in reality very little to do with the 
petty question with which it was nominally associated. The 
real issue was the long-pending one of whether Austria or 
Prussia should guide the destinies of the Fatherland. 

456. The conflict was precipitated in June, 1866, and 
was continued throudi what is called the Six Events of the 

^ , , , , Six Weeks' 

Weeks' War. Italy united with Prussia in de- war. 
daring war against Austria. For a time Austria had toler- 
ably good fortune. The Italians were defeated at Custozza 
by the Archduke Albert. But the Prussians, armed with the 
needle-gun, — a breech-loading rifle of new construction, — 
invaded Bohemia under the command of their king, and in- 
flicted a signal defeat upon the Austrians under command 



480 MODERN HISTORY. 



of Marshal Benedek at Sadowa, near Koniggratz. Austria 
was obliged to sue for peace, which was concluded at 
Prague, in August of the same year (1866). ^ 

457. By this treaty Austria was forever excluded from 
Results of the Germany, and had to pay a heavy indemnity, 
struggle. Besides this, several of the states that had 
taken part with Austria — Bavaria, Baden, and two or 
three others — entered into a secret alliance with Prussia, 
by which their troops were placed at the disposal of Prussia 
for the defense of Germany. 

458. The final result was that all the states to the north 
Formation of of the Main United to form the North German 
Confederation. Confederation under the leadership of Prussia, 
the whole military system of the Confederation being placed 
at the disposal of that country. The first Diet of the new 
Confederation met at Berlin in February, 1867. 

459. This partial union of Germany was a great advance 
Further pro- ^^1 the old State of things, but still it was far 
s*"^^^- from complete. A great party — the so-called 
National Liberal ^2iXX^ — had already been formed, whose 
leading aim was thie union of South Germany with the new 
Confederation. Still, such a union seemed far off, when an 
event happened by which, amid the rejoicing of Germany, the 
object was attained. This event was the war with France. 

460. The occasion of the war with France, as has already 
Cause of the been stated,* was the fact that Leopold, of 
^^'■' Hohenzollern, a kinsman of the King of 
Prussia, allowed himself to be a candidate for the Spanish 
throne ; but the underlying cause was the intense jealousy 
of Napoleon III. at the success of Prussia in gathering so 
great a part of Germany around herself. 

461. In declaring war, which Napoleon III. did in July, 
Napoleon's 1870, he hoped that the South Germans, if 
^isappoint- ^^^ ^.^ ^^^ actually join France, would at 

* See page 469. 



THE GERMAN EMPIRE RESTORED. 48 1 

least remain neutral. But he was greatly disappointed. 
The petty occasion of the dispute was soon wholly lost 
sight of, and most of the South German states, realizing 
that the struggle was one of aggressive and domineering 
France against the long-humiliated Fatherland, willingly 
united with Prussia. Austria and the other dominions of 
the House of Austria alone held back. 

462. Soon a million of men were in the field, under the 
King of Prussia. His chief adviser was Gen- Beginning of 
era! von Moltke, one of the ablest strategists '^^ struggle, 
of modern times. The French, assuming the offensive, 
crossed the frontier, fully expecting, in their blind confidence, 
that they would soon dictate a peace at Berlin. 

463. With the details of this remarkable campaign it 
will be impossible for us to occupy ourselves; Account of the 
but a few of the prominent points are here ^^'■• 
presented. 

Battle of Weis'senburg. — The French having invaded Germany, ac- 
tive operations commenced early in August, 1870. Battle of Weis- 
senburg, fought between the German army under the Crown Prince 
and the French, August 4th : result, the French were defeated. The 
army of the Crown Prince now encamped on French ground. 

Battle of Worth, — fought between the German forces and the French 
army under Marshal MacMahon, August 6th: result, defeat of the 
French ; and, as some other successes were won by the other German 
columns about the same time, the whole German army now entered 
France. 

Battle of Sedan'. — The main French army under Marshal Bazaine 
was defeated in several engagements near Metz ; and after various op- 
erations in different quarters the French were driven from all sides 
into Sedan, which was surrounded by the Germans (September l): 
result, the French army of 80,000 men was forced to surrender ; the 
Emperor Napoleon III., who was present with this army, yielded his 
sword to King William, and received as his residence the Castle of 
Wilhelmshohe, near Cassel. 

Siege of Paris. — Soon after Sedan, two of the German armies, under 
the Crown Prince, marched towards Paris, which they invested (Sep- 
tember 19th), while the third German army occupied the country to the 
south and southeast, and other forces the region to the north and 
20 Eii 



482 MODERN HISTORY. - ■ 

northeast. The French made several attempts to break through the 
German line of investment (September and October), but were driven 
back. 

Surrender of Metz. — Meanwhile, a new French army had been raised 
to operate with a view to the relief of Paris, but just then fresh disas- 
ters befell France. Marshal Bazaine, surrounded by German forces 
at Metz, after having tried several times to escape, capitulated with 
his whole army of 170,000 men (October 27). 

Surrender of Paris. — A last attempt was made by the French to es- 
cape from Paris in January, 1871 ; but they were driven back with 
heavy loss, and as, in spite of some partial successes, all their armies 
in the field were defeated, the " Government of the National Defense," 
which had taken the control of affairs after the surrender of Napoleon, 
opened negotiations for peace. Paris formally surrendered January 
28, 1871. 

464. The final treaty of peace between France and Ger- 
Terms of many, called the Treaty of Frankfort^ wsib 
p^^^^- signed May 10, 187 1. Very severe terms were 
imposed on France, which had to give up to the Germans 
the provinces of Alsace and German Lorraine, and pay an 
indemnity of 5,000,000,000 francs. 

465. Even before the termination of hostilities, the long- 
Creation of the desircd rcsult, the unification of Germany, was 
Empire. accomplished. The war itself had inspired the 
South Germans with a warm desire for a closer union with 
the Northern Confederation. By treaties mi:de with the 
various South German states in November, 1870, the 
Northern Confederation was changed into a German Con- 
federatio?i, under the presidency of William I. of Prussia. 
In the following month the German sovereigns proposed 
that the President of the Confederation should receive the 
title of German Emperor. The proposal being agreed to, 
King William was, in the palace of Versailles, solemnly 
proclaimed Emperor of Germany, January 18, 187 1. 

467. In the month of March the first Diet of the new 
The German Empire was Opened at Berlin. By this Parlia- 
constitution. nient a constitution was adopted for the twenty- 



GREAT NAMES OE THE i^TII CENIL'RY. 483 

five States forming the Empire. Each of these regulates 
its own affairs in so far as they do not affect other states, 
and is allowed to send and receive diplomatic representa- 
tives. What concerns the whole country is left to the Im- 
perial Government. The duties of legislation rest with the 
Federal Council, and the Diet ; the executive power is 
wielded by the Emperor. He has the right to declare war 
and make peace, to form alliances and conclude treaties. 

468. Thus it was that the greater part of Germany was* 
again united as a single power. In the mean summary of 
time Austria and its adjuncts formed a sepa- ''^suits. 
rate kingdom known as the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. 
The triumph of Prussia was complete ; but it was also the 
triumph of Germany. The Austro-Prussian war raised 
Prussia to the first place in Germany ; the Franco-Prussian 
war raised Germany to the first place in Europe. 



GREAT NAMES OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 

PHILOSOPHERS AND SCIENTISTS. 

Humboldt, Alexander von (1769- 1859), born at Berlin — the greatest 
of descriptive naturalists — chief \\ork, his Kosmos, an account of the 
physical phenomena of the universe 

Cuvier (1769- 1831), a Swiss, but lived most of his life in Paris — 
a very distinguished naturalist and paleontologist — principal works, 
The Animal Kingdom and Discourses on the Revolutions of the Surface 
of the Globe — employed by Napoleon' as minister of education. 

Hegel (1770- 1831), a German philosopher and founder of a new 
school of philosophy. 

Davy, Sir Humphry (1778- 1829), a celebrated chemist and natural 
philosopher — discovered a number of scientific facts and principles 
— inventor of the safety-lamp for miners. 

Arago (1786- 1852), a distinguished French savant, and especially re- 
nowned in astronomy — was superintendent of the Paris Observatory. 

Hamilton, Sir William (17S8-1856), a Scotch metaphysician and 



484 MODERN niSTOKY. 

logician — author of works on mental philosophy and logic — contrib- 
uted greatly to advance metaphysical science as a professor and critic. 

Faraday (1791 -1869), an eminent physical philosopher — made im- 
portant discoveries relative to magnetic electricity and light — the 
prince of lecturers on scientific subjects. 

Comte (1798- 1857), a famous French philosopher, and author of the 
Positive Philosophy 

Liebig (1803- 1872), born at Darmstadt — a great chemist — profes- 
sor at Munich — has written much on the chemistry of agriculture 
and physiology. 

Mill, John Stuart (1806- 1873), "^"^ eminent English philosopher — 
anlhor of Political Eco7iomy, Logic, On Liberty, etc. 

Brewster, Sir David (1781-1868), a distinguished Scottish scientist 
— editor of the Edinburgh Encyclopedia — wrote Letters on N'aturai 
Magic and a Life of Newton — famous for his discoveries in optics. 

Leverrier (181 1- ), a great French astronomer — proved by 

mathematical calculation that there must be another planet beyond 
the orbit of Uranus, and told when and where it would come into 
view, August, 19, 1846; in September it was discovered in nearly the 
locality indicated, and is now known as Neptune. 

Tyndall, John (1820- ), a natural philosopher and most clear and 

eloquent expounder of scientific subjects — author of Heat cojisidered 
as a Mode of Motion, Glaciers of the Alps, etc. 

Agassiz, Louis J. R. (1807- 1873), ^" eminent naturalist — born in 
Switzerland, but spent the last twenty-five years of his life in this 
country — leading works, Poissons Fossiles, Contributiotis to the Natural 
History of the United States, and Methods of Study in Natural History. 



WRITERS. 

Goethe (1749- 1832), born at Frankfort-on-the-Main — one of the 
most glorious names of Gerrnany — chief works, Werther, IVilhelm 
Meisfer, and Faust. 

Richter (1763- 1825), a German author and humorist, and a most 
original writer — principal works. Titan, Hesperus, and Levana or. 
Education. 

Wordsworth, William (1770 - 1850), one of the Lake Poets — chief 
works. The Excursion 2iuA The White Doe of Rylstone — Poet Laureate 
after Southey ; many of his poems describe common events in every- 
day words. 

Scott, Sir Walter (1771-1832), born in Edinburgh — famed as a 



GREAT NAMES OF THE i^TB CENTURY. 485 

poet, and still more so as a novelist — began with a translation of 
Burger's Leonora and The Wild Huntsmafi — chief poen\s, Lady of the 
Lake, and Lay of the Last Minstrel. 

Coleridg'e, Samuel Taylor (1772- 1834), one of the Lake Poets — 
chief works, The Ancient Mariner and Christaliel, an unfinished poem. 

Campbell, Thomas (1777- 1844), born and educated in Glasgow — 
author of Pleasures of Hope — more admired for his warlike ballads, 
such as The Battle of the Baltic and Ye Mariners of England. 

Beranger (1780- 1857), a noted lyric poet of France — sang of the 
common people and their interests : the Burns of France. 

Grimm, Jacob and William (1785-1863), brothers, and associated 
as philologists and antiquarians — through their labors comparative 
philology was raised to the dignity of a science — greatest works, 
Teutonic Grammar and German Dictionary — known to the young 
as the authors of Household Tales. 

Guizot, Francois Pierre Guillaume (1787- 1875), a prominent 
statesman and the most distinguished modern French historian, — au- 
thor of a " History of Civilization in Europe" and many other works. 

Byron (1788- 1824), born in London — one of the leading British poets 
— his chief work is Childe Harold'' s Pilgrimage, written in the stanza 
of Spenser — died at Missolonghi (in Greece), of fever, aged 36. 

Carlyle, Thomas (1795- ), born in Scotland, but has lived most of 
his life in London — one of the greatest of modern English writers — 
distinguished for his powerful and picturesque, though somewhat 
eccentric, style — did much to introduce German literature to the 
knowledge of the English-speaking public — greatest works, the 
French Revolution (a grand prose epic). Life of F'rederick the Great, 
Life of Cromwell, Sartor Resartiis, etc. — has profoundly influenced 
the thought of his age. 

Prescott (1796- 1859), an eminent American historian — devoted him- 
self especially to Spanish history — chief works, Ferdifuind and Isa- 
bella, Conquest of Mexico, etc. 

Thiers (1797- ), a French historian and statesman — author of 

The French Revolution and The Consulate and the Etnpire — was made 
President of the French Republc after the overthrow of Louis Na- 
poleon, in 1870. 

Pushkin (1799 -1837), the greatest of Russian poets. 

Macaulay (1800- 1859), the finest historian of the day — chief work, 
History of Englaiui — distinguished for his brilliant and picturesque 
style. 

Hugo, Victor (1802- ), a French poet, dramatist, novelist, and 



486 MODERN HISTORY. 

politician — took part in the school of Romanticists in opposition to 
the Classicists — best-known novels, Notre Dame in his earlier days, 
and Les Miserables and Ninety- Three in his latter days. 

Emerson, Ralph Waldo { 1803 - ), the " sage of Concord " — the 
most subtle and original thinker of America — leading works, Essays^ 
Representative Men, etc. 

Hawthorne (1805 -1864), an American novelist — distinguished for 
the subtlety of his analysis and his graceful, powerful style — author 
of The Scarlet Letter^ Twice- Told Tales, etc. 

Tennyson, Alfred (1809- ), Poet Laureate of England — a great 
master of rhythm and metrical harmony — his poems marked by 
sweetness and depth of passion — leading works, The Princess, In 
Memoriam, Idyls of the King, etc. 

Thackeray (1811-1863), though not the most popular, yet the pro- 
foundest, of English novelists — distinguished for his subtle analysis of 
character — leading works, Vanity Fair, Pendcnnis, The Ncwcomes., etc 

Dickens, Charles (1812 - 1870), the most popular of modern English 
novelists — the Shakespeare of the 19th century — his novels distin- 
guished as generally having some object of philanthropy or reform. 



ARTISTS. 

Thorwaldsen (1770-1844), a Danish sculptor, and author of many 
noble works — founder of the Art Museum at Copenhagen. 

Beethoven (1770- 1827), a great German musician — among his many 
works may be named The Moimt of Olives, an oratorio, and Fidelio, an 
opera. 

Turner (1775- 1851), one of the best landscape painters of the English 
school — painted also several historical pictures — died under an 
assumed name in a humble lodging in London. 

Weber (1786- 1826), a distinguished musician of the German school — 
his greatest work, Der Freischiitz, was brought out in 1822 at Berlin. 

Vernet, Horace (1789- 1863), one of the greatest of modern French 
painters — his favorite subjects, battles and African hunting — painted 
on very large canvases. 

Rossini (1792- 1868), a great Italian musical composer — most cele- 
brated operas, William Tell and The Barber of Seville — author also 
of Stabat Mater. 

Meyerbeer (1794 — 1864), a renowned German musical composer — at 
six years of age astonished the public by his playing — greatest operas, 
Robert le Diablc, The Hngiienots, The Prophet, and V Af-icaine. 



GREAT NAMES OF THE \^TH CENTURY. 487 

Donizetti (1798- 1848), a composer of Italian operas — best known, 
Liccrezia Borgia and Lucia di Lavivierjiioor . 

Landseer, Sir Edwin (1802- 1873), famous for his paintings of ani- 
mals, which have been widely popularized in engravings. 

Kaulbach, Wilhelm von (1805 -1874), the most illustrious modern 
German painter — the leader of the idealistic school — spent most of 
his life in Munich, the last twenty-five years as director of the art 
academy — produced many grand paintings, his masterpieces being 
the "Battle of the Huns" and the " Destruction of Jerusalem." 

Mendelssohn (1809- 1847), born at Hamburg, of German-Jewish 
parentage — a musician of the highest genius — chief works, his music 
for the Midsummer Nighfs Dream, and his sublime oratorios, St. 
Paul and Elijah. 

Verdi (1814- ), an Italian composer - best-known operas, // Tro- 
vatore and La Tunnata. 

Dore, Gustave {1833- ), a French artist — distinguished for ex- 

traordinary powers of conception — well known for his illustrations of 
the works of Dante, and oi Don Quixote and the Wandering Jew. 



INVENTORS. 

Brunei, Sir Isambard (1769- 1849), a distinguished engineer — great- 
est work, the Thames Tunnel ; begun 1826, finished 1843. 

Stephenson, George (1781- 1848), born at Wylam, Northumberland 
— the great railway engineer — inventor of the locomotive engine — 
died at Tapton, aged 67 — his son Robert is distinguished as the engi- 
neer of the Tubular Bridge over the Menai Strait. 

Daguerre (1789 -1851). inventor of the daguerreotype — the production 
by light of images on a sensitive surface was already known, but 
Daguerre discovered how to fix the image in hyposulphate of soda. 

Morse, Professor S. F. B. (1791-1871), born in Massachusetts — 
educated for a painter, but devoted himself to science — his world-wide 
fame is based on his invention of the electric telegraph. 



INDEX 



Abraham, 31, 38. 

Abu-Beker, 229. 

Academy of Sciences, foundation of, 381. 

Achaia, province of, iii, 155. 

Acre, siege of, by Crusaders, 263, 445. 

Actiiim, battle of, 177. 

Addison, 437. 

^gos Potamos, battle of, loi. 

iEneas, 133. 

iEschines, 123. 

^schylus, 121. 

Africa, circumnavigation of, by Da Gama, 

310. 
Agassiz, Louis J. R-, 484. 
Ages, the Dark, 272, 277. « 

Agincourt, battle of, 291. 
Agriculture, low state of, in Middle Ages, 

275- 
Alba Longa, 134. 
Alcsus, 121. 
Alcibiades, 100, loi. 
Alcuin, 274. 
Alexander the Great, career of, 104, 105 ; 

his successors, loB. 
Alexander I. of Russia, 408. 
Alfred the Great, 292. 
Aliiambra, the, 282. 
Alliance, the Holy, 458. 
Alphabet, the Phoenician, 45, 46, 47. 
Alsace, 482. 
Alva, Duke of, 332. 
Ambrose, 200. 
Amusements, Roman, 204. 
Ancient History, end of, 5. 
Andalusia, meaning of the term, 216. 
Angelo, Michel, 347. 
Anglo-Saxon, persistence of, 292. 
Anglo-Saxons, conquest of Britain by, 225, 

226. 
Antioch, siege of, 258, 259. 



Antony, Mark, 173, 175, 176, 177. 

Aqueducts, Roman, 187. 

Arago, 483. 

Arbela, battle of, 105 

Archeology, definition of, i. 

Architecture, Egyptian, 22 ; Chald^ean, 30 ; 
Hindoo, 53 ; Persian, 60 ; Greek, orders 
of, 125, 126; Gothic, 284. 

Archons, Athenian, 89. 

Areola, battle of, 443. 

Ariosto, 349. 

Aristides, 94. 

Aristophanes, 122. 

Aristotle, 125. 

Arkwright, 439. 

Armada, the, 342, 343. 

Arques, battle of, 338. 

Art, Greek, 125 ; the Flemish School o^ 
382. 

Arts, Assyrian, 35 ; Babylonian, 37 ; Per- 
sian, 61. 

Aryans, 3 ; proof of the unity of, 3; influ- 
ence of, in history, 4 ; first seat of, 50. 

Asia, geographical divisions of, 8, 9, 10. 

Assembly, the French Legislative, during 
the Revolution, 419. 

Assyria, Empire of, 32 - 35. 

Astronomy, Chaldaean, 30. 

Athanasius, 200. 

Athens, early history of, 88. 

Attila, 210. 

Auerstadt, battle of, 451. 

Augustine, 201. 

Augustan Age, 188. 

Augustus (see also Octavius), 182 iSg. 

Austerlitz, battle of, 450. 

Austrian Empire, establishment of, 451. 

Babylon, description of, 36. 

Bacon, Roger, 281 ; Francis, 379, 387. 



490 



INDEX. 



Balance of Power, nature of the, 316 ; wars 
of Francis I. to preserve the, 322. 

Banking, origin of, 279, 280 note. 

Barras, 427- 

Bassano, battle of, 443. 

Bastile, capture of the, 415. 

Baths, Roman, 204. 

Bautzen, battle of, 455. 

Bayard, 271. 

Bade, 274. 

Beethoven, 486. 

Belisarius, 223. 

Benedict, Saint, 276. '' 

Biranger, 485. 

Berkeley, 431. 

Bernadotte, 453. 

Bernard, Saint, 261. 

Bishop of Rome, power of, 247. 

Bismarck, 47S. 

Blood, discovery of the circulation of, 381. 

Boieyn, Anne, 326-328. 

Bonaparte, Joseph, 451, 452; Louis, 451. 

Books, Roman, 205 ; scarcity of, in Middle 
Ages, 273, 274; earliest printed, 313. 

Bossuet, 381. 

Bourbon, House of, 290 ; first king of name, 
338. 

Brewster, Sir David, 484. 

Brindley, 433, 439. 

Britain, conquest of, by Romans, 191 ; aban- 
donment of, by Romans, 209. 

Brunei, Sir Isambard, 487. 

Brunswick, House of, 392, 392 note. 

Brutus, Lucius Junius, 137 ; Marcus Jun- 
ius, 173, 174, 176. 

Buddhism, 54. 

Burgundians, 216. 

Burke, 438. 

Burleigh, 344, 345. 

Burns, 438. 

Byron, 4S5. 

Byzantium, 193. 

Cabot, 312. 

Cadmus, 46. 

Caesar, Julius, 165- 175. 

Caliphs, meaning of term, 229. 

Calonne, 412. 

Calvin, John, 334. 

Cambyses, 56 ; son of Cyrus, 58. 

Camoens, 349. 

Campbell, Thomas- -«8s.» 



Campo Formio, treaty of, 444. 

Canals, first navigable, 433. 

Cannse, battle of, 151. 

Canova, 439. 

Capet, Hugh, 2SS. 

Carlyle, Thomas, 485. 

Carthage, founding of, 43; position of, in 
Roman period, 48, 148 ; siege of, 153, 
154- 

Cassius, Caius, 173, 176. 

Castes, Egyptian, 20, 21 ; Indian, 51 ; origin 
of, 52. 

Castiglione, battle of, 443. 

Castile, foundation of, 299. 

Catherine II. of Russia, 407, 408 ; de Med- 
ici, 334-338. 

Catholics, persecution of, under Henry 
VIII., 328, 329. 

Catiline, 165. 

Cato the Censor, 153, 158 note; the Young- 
er, 171. 

Catullus, 188. 

Caucasian race, its historic representa- 
tives, 2. 

Cavaignac, 466. 

Cavaliers, 354; costutiie of the, 384, 385. 

Cavour, 471. 

Celts, immigration of, into Europe, 213 ; in- 
fluence of Rome on, 214. 

Cervantes, 348. 

Chseronea. battle of, 104. 

Chaldaea, the kingdom of, 29-31. 

Charlemagne, empire of, 234-239. 

Charles Albert, 471. 

Charles I. (of England), reign of, 352-357 ; 
Charles II. (of England), reign of, 360, 
361 ; Charles V. (of Spain), age of, 317- 
325 ; Charles IX. (of France), 336 - 338 ; 
Charles X. (of France), 464 ; Charles 
XII. (of Sweden), 404-406. 

Chartists, the, 461, 462. 

Chaucer, 284. 

Chemistry, foundation of, in i8th century, 
432. 

Cheops, iS. 

Chimneys, origin of, 280. 

Chivalry, 267 - 271. 

Christ, birth of, 189. 

Christianity, spread of, 194-201. 

Christians, first pagan mention of, 195, 196. 

Chronology, French system of, during the 
Revolution, 441 note. 



INDEX. 



491 



C^hrysostom, 201. 

Church, influence of, in Dark Ages, 275. 

Cicero, 164, 165. 

Ciiicinnatus, 139. 

Cities, rise of, 111 Middle Ages, 245, 246; the 
growth of, in Middle Ages, 277. 

Citizenship. Roman, extension of, 192. 

Civilization, connection of, with geography, 
10 ; Assyrian, 34 ; Phoenician, 49 ; Alex- 
andrian, io8; Grecian, 114-129; types 
of, in Roman Empire, 155: sources of 
modern, 214, 215; Byzantine, 222; in 
Middle Ages, 272-284. 

Cleopatra, 170, 176, 177, 178. 

Clergy, the English, in 17th century, 383. 

Clovis, 224. 

Code Napoleon, 449. 

Coleridge, Samuel T., 485. 

Coliseum, 185. 

Colonies, Phoenician, 44, 45 ; Greek, in Asia 
Minor, 82. 

Columbus, 311. 

Commerce, Babylonian, 64 ; Phoenician, 66 ; 
Carthaginian, 68 ; early English, 278, 
279 ; Italian, 279 : Venetian, 296 ; effect 
of circumnavigation of Africa on, 311 ; 
English, under Elizabeth, 344. 

Commonwealth, the English, 357. 

Compass, invention of Mariner's, 309. 

Comte, 484. 

Confederation of the Rhine, 451 ; the Ger- 
man, 474, 480. 

Conformity, Act of, 341. 

Constance, Peace of, 278, 296. 

Constantine, 198, 199. 

Constantinople, 193, 230, 307. 

Consulate, establishment of French, 446, 

447- 
Consulate and the Empire, France under 

the, 440-457. 
Copernicus, 349. 
Corday, Charlotte, 425. 
Coriolanus, 138. 
Corneille, 381, 38S. 
Corn Laws, repeal of, 461. 
Cosmo I., 298. 
Cotton-gin, 434 
^rassus, 163, 165, 168. 
Crecy, battle of, 290. 
Crimea, conquest of the, by Russia, 408. 
Crimean war, 462, 463, 468 ; part taken by 
Italy in, 471, 472. 



Croesus, overthrow of, 57. 

Crompton, 433, 439. 

Cromwell, Oliver, 355 - 359 : Richard, 359. 

Crusades, the, 253 - 266 ; meaning of term, 

253 ; origin of, 254 ; the First, 256-260 ; 

the Second, 261, 262 ; the Third, 262, 

263 ; later ones, 264 ; results of, 265, 266. 
Cuneitbrm, nature of characters, 30, 31, 45. 
Custozza, battle of, 479. 
Cuvier, 483. 
Cyaxares, 56. 
Cyprian, 200. 
Cyrus, legends of, 56, 57 ; his conquests, 57, 

5S. 

Daguerre, 487. 

Damascus, siege of, by Crusaders, 262. 

Dante, 284. 

Darius I., 59, 91-93; Darius Codomannus, 
105, 106. 

Dark Ages, 212. 

Davy, Sir Humphry, 483. 

Decemvirs, the Roman, 141. 

Declaration of Independence, influence of 
French philosophy in, 430. 

Democracy, contributions of Greeks to, 114. 

Demosthenes, 103, 123. 

Descartes, 379, 3S0, 387. 

Desiderius, 224. 

Dickens, Charles, 486. 

Dictator, origin of Roman, 139. 

Diet of Worms, 321. 

Diocletian, 197. 

Directory, French government called the, 
426, 427 ; the French, 442. 

Donizetti, 487. 

Dore, Gustave, 487. 

Dorians, character of, 84. 

Dorylaeum, battle of, 258. 

Draco, laws of, 89. 

Drama, Grecian, 121, 122. 

Dress, Grecian, 128; Roman, 201,20*; la- 
dies', in 17th century, 385. 

Dumouriez, 420, 424. 

Diirer, 347. 

Dutch Republic, rise of, 331-333- 

Dynasty, the Merovingian, 224 ; the Carlo- 
vingian, 285 ; the Norman, in England, 
293. 

Edessa, principality of, 261. 
Edgehill, battle of, 354. 



492 



INDEX 



Edict of Nantes, revocation of, 375. 
Education among Greeks, 128. 
Edward VI. of England, reign of, 339, 340. 
Egbert, 291. 

Egypt, 12-26; antiquity of, 12; its geog- 
raphy, 13 ; populousness of, 14 ; hiero- 
glyphics, 14- 16 ; chronology, 17 ; castes, 
20, 21 ; architecture, 22 ; sculpture, 23 ; 
religion, 24 ; manufactures, 25 
Elba, 455. 

Electricity, Franklin's discoveries in, 432. 
Elegy, rise of, among the Greeks, 120. 
Elizabeth of England, reign of, 339-346. 
Embalming, practice of, among Egyptians, 

25- 
Emerson, Ralph Waldo, 486. 
Emperors, the Roman, 189, 190. 
Empire, the Eastern Roman, 221 ; the 

German, in Middle Ages, 285-287. 
England, meaning of name, 226 ; Christiani- 
zation of, 227 ; history of, in Middle 
Ages, 291 - 295 ; effect of Norman con- 
quest, 292; under Henry VI II., 325- 
330 ; under the Stuarts, 350 - 364 ; social 
condition of, in 17th century, 383, 384. 
Epaminondas, 102. 
Era, the Christian, true beginning of, 189 

note. 
Essex, Earl of, 345. 
Essling, battle of, 453. 
Ethnology, definition of, 1. 
Etruscans, the, 131. 
Euripides, 121. 
Exodus, the, 19 7iote. 
Eylau, battle of, 452. 

Faraday, 484. 

Fathers, the Christian, 200. 

Federations, Greek, no. 

Feudalism, 241 - 246 ; decline of, 314. 

Fief, nature of, 241, 243. 

Fielding, 437. 

Florence, history of, in Middle Ages, 297, 
298. 

Food, Roman, 202. 

France, meaning of the term, 216; founda- 
tion of, 224 ; beginnings of, 287, 288 ; 
undei Carlovingians, 288 ; Capetian 
kings of, 289 ; under House of Valois, 
2QO ; under Louis XIV., 368 - 379. 

Franchise, the Latin, 147. 

Frankfort, Treaty of, 482. 



Franklin, Benjamin, 432, 436. 

Franks, meaning of the word, 216; invasion 

of Gaul by, 216, 224. 
Frederick Barbarossa, 262, 263, 296 ; Duke 

of Saxony, 321 ; Elector Palatine, 365 ; 

William, 397. 
French Revolution, 409-429. 
Fulton, 439. 



Gades, 44. 

Gainsborough, 43S. 

Galileo, 349, 380. 

Gallia Cisalpina, 131. 

Galvani, 432, 436. 

Galvanism, origin of, 432. 

Games, the four Grecian, 117, ng. 

Garibaldi, 472, 473. 

Gas-lights, first use of, 434. 

Gaul, settlement of Teutonic tribes in, 

224. 
Gauls, seat of, in Italy, 131 ; burning of 
Rome by, 133 ; capture of Rome by, 
142. 
Genseric, 210. 

Gentleman, origin of the, 271. 
Geology, foundation of, 433. 
George I. of England, reign of, 392, 393; 
II., reign of, 394; III., reign of, 395, 
396; III., 458; IV., 458. 
Germany Empire of, in Middle Ages, 285- 

287. 
Ghibellines, 295, 296. 
Gibbon, 438. 

Gibraltar, meaning of term, 230. 
Gioja, 309. 

Girondists, the, 419, 421, 424- 
Glass, introduction of, in windows, 280. 
Godfrey of Bouillon, 260. 
Goethe, 484 
Goldsmith, 438. 

Good Hope, Cape of, doubled, 310. 
Goths, 208, 209 ; original home of, 215. 
Gracchus, Tiberius, 159, 160; Caius, 160. 
Granicus, battle of, 105. 
Great Britain, origin of name, 391. 
Greece, history of, 73 - 129 ; race, 74 ; geog- 
raphy of, 75 ; states of, 76 ; legends of, 
78, 79; movements of races, 81, 82 
colonies. 82 ; earliest history, 84 
growth of Sparta and Athens, 85-90 
Persian invasions of, 91-98; age of 
Pericles, 98, 99 ; Peloponnesian war. 



INDEX. 



493 



loo, loi ; Spartan and Tlieban suprem- 
acy, loi, 102; supremacy of Macedonia, 
103, 104; later history, 109- iii ; civili- 
zation of, 114- 129. 

Greek society, 129. 

Gregory Nazianzen, 200. 

Gregory VII., 250. 

Granada, capture of, 299. 

Grey, Lady Jane, 340. 

Grimm, Jacob and William, 485. 

Guelphs, the, 295. 

Gunpowder, effect of, 270. 

Gustavus Adoiphus, 365, 366. 

Gutenberg, 313. 

Hamilcar, 150. 
Hamilton, Sir William, 483. 
Hamites, their representative, 3. 
Handel, 438. 
Hannibal, 151 - 153- 
Hanuo, 68 note- 

Hapsburg, origin of House of, 287. 
Hargreaves, 439. 
Haroun-al-Raschid, 231. 
Harvey, 381. 
Hawthorne, 486. 
Haydn, 439. 
Hebrews, the, 38 - 42. 
Hegel, 483- 
Hegira, date of, 228. 
Hellas, 75. 

Henry II. (of England). 289; VII. (of 
England), 295 ; VIII. (of England), 
reign of, 325-330; III- (of France), 
338: IV. (of France), 338, 339! IV- 
(Emperor of Germany), 250. 
Henry, Prince of Portugal, 309. 

Herodotus, 14 note, 122- 

Herschel, William, 436. 

Hesiod, 120. 

Hieroglyphics, Egyptian, 14- 16. 

Hildebrand, 249, 250. 

Hindoos, the, 50-54- 

History, definition of, i ; a unit, 6; earliest 
theater of, ii. 

Hohenlinden, battle of, 448. 

Holbein, 347. 

Homer, 78, 79, 90, 119, 120. 

Horace, 188. 

Horatius Codes, 138. 

Houses, description of Roman, 206. 

Howard, Catherine, 329 ; John, 435. 



Hugo, Victor, 485. 
Huguenot, origin of name, 334. 
Humboldt, Alexander von, 483. 
Hume, David, 431, 437, 438. 
Hungary, revolution of, in 1848, 476, 477. 
Hyksos, 18, 19. 

Imperator, meaning of, 171. 

India, Alexander's expedition to, 106 : con- 
quest of, by British, 396. 

Innocent III., 251 

Inventions, sketch of, in iSth century, 433. 

Ionia, revolt of cities of, 91. 

lonians, character of, 83, 84. 

Ipsus, battle of, 108. 

Isabella, 299. 

Israel, kingdom of, 40. 

Issus, battle of, 105. 

Italy, in Middle Ages, 295 - 298 ; unification 
of, 470 - 473- 

Ivry, battle of, 338. 

Jacobite, origin of the name, 393. 

Jacquard, 439. 

James I. of England, 350- 352 ; II., 362. 

Janus, temple of, 186. 

Jena, battle of, 451. 

Jerome, 201. 

Jerusalem, destruction of, by Titus, 41 ; 

capture of, by Crusaders, 260 ; kingdom 

of, 260. 
Jews, their place in history, 42 
Joan of Arc, 291 
John of England, 293. 
Johnson, Samuel, 437. 
Josephine, 428. 
Jourdan, 428, 442, 443. 
Judah, kingdom of, 40. 
Jugerum, 143 note- 
Julian the Apostate, 200. 
Justinian, reign of, 221, 223. 
Juvenal, 189. 

Kant, 431. 

Kepler, 380. 

Kings, divine right of, 351. 

Knight, dress and equipment of, 269. 

Knighthood, ceremonial of, a68. 

Koran, the, 228. 

Kossuth, 476. 

Labarum, the, 199. 



494 



INDEX. 



Lafayette, 414. 

Lamian war, the, 109. 

Lancaster, House of, 294. 

Landseer, Sir Edwin, 487. 

Languages, the Teutonic, 219; the Sla- 
vonic, 219; the Cehic, 218; the Ro- 
mance, 273. 

Laplace, 437. 

Latins, the race of the, 132. 

Laud, 353. 

Lavoisier, 432, 436. 

Law, John, 393. 

Law, the civil or Roman, 221. 

Laws, English penal, 435. 

League, the Achaean, 110; the Smalcaldic, 
323 ; Hanseatic, 277, 278 ; Lombard, 
278. 

Learning, revival of, 312-314. 

Leibnitz, 381, 388. 

Leicester, Earl of, 345. 

Leipsic, battle of, 455. 

Leonidas, 95, 96. 

Leopold, 469. 

Lepidus, 175. 

Lessing, 438. 

Letters, the disuse of, in Middle Ages, 
273- 

Leuctra, battle of, 102. 

Leverrier, 484. 

Library, the Alexandrian, 108, 170, 229. 

Licinian law, the, 143. 

Lictors, the Ro nan, 138 note. 

Liebig, 484. 

Literature, Hindoo, 52. 53 ; Persian, 62 ; 
early Roman, 157 ; Roman, 188 ; char- 
acteristics of European, in i8th century, 
431 ; French, in i8th century, 429. 

Lithography, invention of, 434. 

Livy, 133, 134, 188. 

Locke, 431. 

Lodi, battle of Bridge of, 443. 

Logarithms, invention of, 381. 

Lombards, 217, 223, 248. 

Lombardy, Charlemagne king of, 237 ; 
League of, 296. 

Long Parliament, 353. 

Lorraine, 482. 

Louis Napoleon, early career of, 465 ; 
coup d'etat by, 467 ; becomes Emperor, 
468. 

Louis Philippe, 464, 465. 

Louis le Debonnaire, 239; IX., 264, 265; 



XIII., 369; XIV., 368-379: XV., 409, 
410; XVL, 410-423; XVIII., 455, 
456, 463. 464- 

Lucretius, 188. 

Luneville, Treaty of, 44S. 

Luher, Martin, 320. 

Liitzen, battle of, 366, 455. 

Luxury, Roman, 158. 

Lydia, 63 note. 

Macaulay, 485. 

Macedonia under Philip, 103, 104 : subju- 
gation of, by Rome, 154. 

Magellan, 312 

Magenta, battle of, 472. 

Magianism, 61. 

Magna Charta, 294. 

Magna Grscia, 132 ; subdued by Romans, 
146. 

Magyars, 218. 

Manetho, 14. 

Manners, English, 361. 

Manufactures, Babylonian, 64 ; Florentine, 
297 ; English, 361. 

Marat, 425. 

Marathon, battle of, 93. 

Mardonius, invasion of Greece by, 92. 

Marengo, battle of, 448. 

Maria Theresa, 397, 398. 

Marie Antoinette, 424. 

Marius, 161, 162. 

Marlborough, Duke of, 376. 

Marriage, Roman, 205. 

Martel, Charles, 225, 230, 231. 

Martial, 188. 

Mary de Medici, 369. 

Mary I. (of England), 340; II. (of Eng- 
land), 362 ; Queen of Scots, 340-342. 

Massilia, 82. 

Maurice of Saxony, 323. 

Medes, the, 55, 56. 

Medici, Lorenzo de, 297 ; Catherine de, 

334-337- 
Mendelssohn, 487. 
Messenians, wars of Sparta with, 87. 
Metz, surrender of, 482. 
Meyerbeer, 486. 
Mill, John Stuart, 484. 
Miltiades, 93. 
Milton, 382, 388. 
Mirabeau, 414. 
Mithridates, 162. 



INDEX. 



495 



Mohammed, early life of, 227 ; character of 
religious system of, 228 ; death of, 229. 

Moliere, 381. 

Monks, rise of, 275, 276. 

Montaigne, 348. 

Montesquieu, 437- 

Montfort, Sir Simon, 294. 

Moore, Thomas, 485. 

Mo7eaii7428, 443. "^ 

Morse, Professor S- F. B., 487. 

Moscow, burning of, 454. 

" Mountain," French Revolutionary party 
called the, 419. 

Mozart, 439. 

Murat, 452. 

Murillo, 383, 388. 

Music, founders of modern, 432. 

Mycale, battle of, 98. 

Mythology, Greek, 115- 117. 

Nabonassar, era of, 33. 

Nabopolassar, 35. 

Nantes, edict of, 338. 

Napier, 381. 

Napoleon Bonaparte, 427 ; early campaign 

of, 442 - 445 ; made Emperor, 449. 
Napoleon III., 465-470. 
Naseby, battle of, 356. 
National Assembly, doings of the, 413- 

419. 
Navarre, foundation of kingdom of, 299. 
Nebuchadnezzar, 35, 36. 
Necker, 411, 412, 414. 
Nelson, 448, 450. 
Nero, 189. 

Newton, 380, 381, 387. 
Nice, 469. 

Nicias, Peace of, 100. 
Nile, battle of the, 445. 
Nimeguen, Peace of, 374. 
Nineteenth century, characteristics of the, 

441. 
Nineveh, description of, 34 ; its fall, 34. 
Normans in England, 243, 244 ; origin of, 

288, 289. 
Norsemen, invasion of France by, 2S8. 
Notables, Assembly of the, 412. 

O'CoNNELL, Daniel, 459. 

Octavius, 17s, 178. • 

Odoacer, 216, 222. 

Offenbach, 4S7. 



Olympiad, the first, 84. 

Omar, 229. 

Oracles, 117. 

Orange, William, Prince of, 362. 

Ordeal, 274. 

Origan, 200. 

Orleans, Maid of, 291. 

Ostracism, 94. 

Otho I., 285, 286. 

Ovid, 188. 

Page, meaning of term, 267. 

Painting, rise of, in England, 431, 432. 

Palace, mayors of tlie, 225. 

Papal power, growth of the, 247-251. 

Parliament, origin of English, 294 ; Engli.=h 

under James 1., 351 ; under Ciiarles I > 

353: the Long, 353 ; Barebone't,, 35S. 
Paris, siege of in 1870, 481, 482. 
Parr, Catherine, 329. 
Parthenon, the, 127 ; cut of, 73. 
Pascal, 382. 

Patricians, the Roman, 135. 
Pavia, battle of, 322. 
Pelasgi, 76, 77- 
Pelopidas, loj. 
Pepin, 225. 

Pericles, 98, 9^ ; ar an orator, 123. 
Persecutions of early Christians, 195 - iq8. 
Persia, Empire of, f5-6;«. 
Peter the Hermit, 254-25C, 260; the Great 

402 - 407. 
Petition of Right, 352. 
Pharnaces, 170, 171. 
Pharsalia, battle of, 170. 
Philip, King of Macedon, 103. 104; Augu? 

tus, 262, 263, 289, 290; II., of Spain 

character of, 331 ; marriage of, wi** 

Mary of England, 340. 
Philosophy, the scholastic, 281. 
Phoenicians, the, 43-49. 
Phrygia, 63 note. 
Piano-forte, invention of, 434. 
Pindar, J2i. 
Pisistratns, 90. 
Pitt, William, 394., 395. 
Pius IX., 470, 471. 
Plantagenets, the, 293. 
Plataea, battle of, 97. 
Plato, 124, 125. 
Plebeians, early oppression of Roman, 135, 

140, 143. 



1 



496 



INDEX. 



Pliny, 188. 

Plutarch, 123. 

Poitiers, battle of, 290. 

Poland, partition of, 408. 

Poles, their race, 217. 

Political Economy, contribution of Adam 
Smith to, 433. 

Pompeii, 188, 206. 

Pompey, 163, 166, 16S-170. 

Pope, Alexander, 437. 

Pope, the, meaning of term, 248. 

Popes, 247 - 251. 

Popiilus Romanus, meaning of term, 146. 

Portuguese, account of discoveries in Africa, 
309, 310 ; in the Indies, 311. 

Powder, invention of, 314, 315. 

Pragmatic Sanction, 397. 

Prescott, 4S5. 

Pretender, the, 393. 

Pretorian Guard, the, 191. 

Pride's Purge, 356. 

Priests, influence of, in Egypt, 20. 

Printing, origin of, 313. 

Protestant, origin of name, 321. 

Protestantism, origin of, 319, 320 ; French 
form of, 334. 

Prussia, beginnings of, 396 ; history of, un- 
der Frederick the Great, 396-400. 

Ptolemies, the, loS. 

Ptolemy Soter, 108. 

Punic wars, 148- 154. 

Puritanism, rise of, 341. 

Puritans, austerity of, 361. 

Pushkin, 485. 

Pydna, battle of, in. 

Pyramids, battle of the, 445. 

Pythagoras, 123. 

Rabelais, 348. 

Race, the Italian, 132. 

Races, the historical, compared, 4, 5 ; 

Italian. 131 ; historical, of Europe, 213. 
Racine, 381, 389. 
Raleigh, 348. 
Raphael, 347. 
Ravenna, exarchs of, 223. 
Rebellion, history of Great English, 354- 

357- 
Reform Bill, 460 
Regulus, 14Q. 

Reichstadt, Duke of. 453, 468, 7iote. 
Reign of Terror, 420, 426. 



Religion, Egyptian, 24 ; Hindoo, 52 ; 
Greek, 115. 

Rembrandt, 388. 

Republic, duration of Roman, 136. 

"Restoration," the English, 360. 

Revolution, the English, of 1688, 363 ; be- 
ginning of American, 395 ; French, 409- 
429 ; French, of 1830, 464 ; of 1848, 
466. 

Reynolds, Sir Joshua, 438. 

Richard I. (Cceur de Lion), 262, 263 note. 

Richelieu, Cardinal, 366, 367, 369-371. 

Richter, 484. 

Rights, tlie Bill of, 363, 363 note- 

Rivoli, battle of, 443. 

Robespierre, 414, 425, 426. 

Roderick, 230. 

Romance languages, origin of, 218. 

Roman Empire, boundaries of, 182, 183 . 
division of, 194; downfall of, 211. 

Rome, history of, 130- 211 ; its geography^ 
130; races, 131, 132; early history, 134 ; 
early struggles, 136-142; Punic wars, 
148-154; civil struggle, 159-178; the 
Empire, 182-211 ; city of, 184, 185, 
193. 

Romilly, Sir Samuel, 435. 

Romulus, 133, 134. 

Roses, Wars of the, 294, 295. 

Rosetta stone, 15. 

Roundheads. 354. 

Royal Society, foundation of, 381. 

Rossini, 486. 

Rotten boroughs, 459. 

Rousseau, 438. 

Roveredo, battle of, 443. 

Rubens, 382, 388. 

"Rump" Parliament, 356. 

Russia, invasion of, by Napoleon, 454, 455. 

Russia, rise of, 402 ; history of, under Peief 
the Great, 402-406. 

Ryswick, Peace of, 375. 

Sadowa. battle of, 480 

Saint Bartholomew, Massacre of, 337. 

Saint Petersburg, foundation of, 406. 

Saladin, 262, 263 note. 

Salamis, battle of, 97. 

Sallust, 18"^. 

ibnction. Pragmatic, 397. 

Sanscrit, 52. 

Sappho, 121. 



INDEX. 



497 



Saracens, their Empire, 231 ; learning of, 

282, 283 ; expelled from Spain, 299. 
Satraps, the Persian, 59. 
Saxons, meaning of term, 217 ; native seat, 

217 ; wars of Charlemagne with, 236. 
Savoy, 469. 
Schiller, 438. 

Schleswig-Holstein question, 478. 
Schoolmen, 281. 
Science, Egyptian, 25 ; progress of, in 18th 

century, 433. 
Scipio, Publius, 151. 
Scots, Mary Queen of, 340-342. 
Sculpture, Egyptian, 23 ; Assyrian, 34 ; 

Greek, 127. 
Scott, Sir Walter, 484. 
Scotus, John, 274. 
Sedan, battle of, 481. 
Seleucids, kingdom of the, 109. 
Seleucus, 109. 

Semites, their historical representatives, 3. 
Sennacherib, 33. 
Sesostris, 19. 
Seven Years' War, 398. 
Seymour, Jane, 329. 
Shakespeare, comparison of, with Greek 

dramatists, 122 ; life of, 348. 
Sicily, Roman province of, 150. 
Sidney, Sir Philip, 348. 
Si eyes, 446. 
Silesia, 398. 

Silk, first manufacture of, 279. 
Simonides, 120. 

Slavery, Roman, 157, 158 ; abolition of Eng- 
lish colonial, 460. 
Slaves, price of Roman, 206. 
Slavonians (see also Slaves), 217. 
Smerdis, 5S. 
Smith, Adam, 433, 436. 
Socrates, 124. 
Solferino, battle of, 472. 
Solomon, reign of, 40. 
Solon, 89. 

Sophists among the Greeks, 123, 124. 
Sophocles, 121. 
South Sea Scheme, 39-5. 
Spain, history of, in Middle Ages, 298, 299. 
Spanish succession, war of, 376, 
Sparta, growth of, 85 ; education in, 86, 87 ; 

constitution of, 87. 
Spenser, 347. 
Spinning-jenny, 433. 



Spinoza. 380, 387. 

Spires, Diet of, 321. 

Squire, duty of, 268. 

Standing armies, establishment of, 315. 

Star-Chamber, abolition of, 353. 

States-General, meeting of the, 412, 413. 

Steam-engine, improvement of, by Watt, 

433- 
Stephenson, George, 487. 
Stereotyping, first practice of, 434. 
Sterne, 438. 
St. Helena, 457. 
Strafford, 353. 

Stuarts, the line of, 350, 350 noie, 351. 
Sulla, 161 - 163. 
Superstition, growth of, in Middle Ages, 

274 
Supremacy, Act of, 341. 
Swedenborg, 436. 
Sylvester, 274. 

Tacitus, 189. 

Tarquinius Superbus, 135. 

Tasso, 349. 

Tennyson, Alfred, 486. 

Terror, Reign of, 420, 426. 

Tertullian, 200. 

Teutons, the, 207, 208, 210 ; historic influ- 
ence of, 214; unity of, 215. 

Thackeray, 486. 

Thales, 123. 

Thapsus, battle of, 171. 

Tliebes (Greek state), supremacy of, 102. 

Themistocles, 94. 

Theodoric, 222, 223. 

Theodosius, 193. 

Thermopylx, battle of, 96. 

Thiers, 485. 

Thorwaldsen, 486. 

Thucydides, 122, 123. 

Tigris, tiie river, description of, 28. 

Tilsit, Treaty of, 452. 

Tin, Phoenician trade in, 67. 

Titian, 347. 

Tobacco, introduction of, into England, 344. 

Tory, 354. 

Toulon, siege of, 428. 

Tournament, 269. 

Trafalgar, battle of, 450. 

Tribonian, 221. 

Tribunes, establishment of Roman, 140, 
141 ; military. 142. 



498 



INDEX. 



Triumvirate, the second, 176. 

Troy, siege of, 78 ; site of, 80 note. 

Tudor, House of, 295. 

Turgot, 411. 

Turks, rise of the Ottoman, 306, 307. 

Turner, 486. 

Twelve Tables, laws of the, 141. 

Tycho-Brahe, 349. 

Tyndall, John, 484. 

Tyre, commerce of, 48. 

Tyrtaeus, 120. 

Ulm, capture of, 450. 

Union, treaty of, between England and 

Scotland, 390. 
Universities, establishment of, in Middle 

Ages, 280, 281. 
Ur, 31. 
Utica, 171. 
Utrecht, Treaty of, 377. 

Vaccination, discovery of, 434. 

Vandals, 210, 216. 

Vandyck, 382, 388. 

Vassal, 241, 242. 

Vedas, the, 52. 

Venice, 223 ; growth of, 296. 

Verdun, Treaty of, 285. 

Verdi, 487. 

Vemet, Horace, 486. 

Victor Emanuel, 471 -473. 

Victoria, 461. 

Virgil, 1S8. 

Visigoths, settlement of, in Italy, 216 ; in 

Spain, 216. 
Voltaire, 437. 

Wagram, jattle of, 453. 



Wallenstein, 365, 367. 

Walpole, Sir Robert, 394. 

War, the Jugurthine, 161 ; the Thirty Years', 
364 - 368 ; the Seven Years', 398, 399 
note; the Franco- Prussian, 469, 480- 
482 ; the Six Weeks', 479, 480. 

Waterloo, battle of, 456. 

Watt, James, 433, 439. 

Weber, 486. 

Wedgwood, 439. 

Weissenburg, battle of, 481. 

West, Benjamin, 439. 

Westphalia, Treaty of, 368 ; Peace of, 333 
kingdom of, 452. 

Whig, 354. 

Wilberforce, 435, 460. 

William I. (ot Germany), 478, 482; III. (of 
England), 362 ; IV. (of England), 459 ; 
the Conqueror, 28q ; of Orange, 332, 

333- 
Wines, Roman, 204. 
Wolsey, Cardinal, 325, 326. 
Woman, position of, among the Greeks, 

129 ; education of English women in 

the 17th century, 386. 
Wool, manufacture of, 278. 
Wordsworth, William, 484. 
Worcester, battle of, 358. 
Worth, battle of, 481. 
Wycliffe, 319. 

Xenophon, 56, 56 note, 123. 

Xerxes, invasion of Greece by, 95, 97. 

"Year III.," constitution of the, ^\. 
York, House of, 295. 

Zollverein, the German, 475. 



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